Birds of a Feather
by wolfwillow
Summary: After Fawkes saves Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack, the phoenix decides to stick around, whether Severus likes it or not.
1. Chapter 1: Flight of the Phoenix

**Chapter 1: Flight of the Phoenix**

The phoenix was miffed. It was the middle of the night! It was unnatural, that's what it was. A phoenix is not a nocturnal bird, but there he was, flapping along in the dark like some stupid bloody owl.

A phoenix can sense things, and he knew he was needed. It was urgent. The wizard called Severus, the one with the boring black plumage, was trying to carry out the final wishes of Albus Dumbledore, and everything was going wrong. Totally wrong. Yes, he could feel it so very strongly. He'd better hurry.

The phoenix didn't understand wizards very well, even after centuries of observing them. However, he knew that Severus was doing what Albus had wanted. And he knew that if Severus failed, then that cute fledgling wizard called Harry would fail, too. That would be very bad. And Severus was failing. Fawkes could feel the wizard's anxiety growing. He flew as fast as he could.

As Fawkes soared toward Hogsmeade, he thought of Albus. Fawkes had adopted Albus so long ago. He remembered Albus' twinkling eyes and bright, colorful plumage. And his sweets. Yes, those sweets! Especially the lemon drops!

Albus was gone now, but Severus and Harry were still loyal, as loyal any Hufflepuff, and Fawkes prized loyalty above all else. It drew him to them like a magnet. He remembered when young Harry had faced the basilisk. Now he could feel Severus facing the serpent. It was time for him to help again. It's what Albus would have wanted.

Suddenly Fawkes sensed the searing pain and terror as the serpent struck! The Shrieking Shack was just ahead! He dove and nearly lost a few feathers as he plunged though a partially boarded-up window.

Fawkes caught a glimpse of Harry and his friends leaving, and he knew then that Severus had succeeded. But Severus was lying still in a pool of blood. Fawkes was too late! It was over. Poor Severus had been loyal to the very end.

Terrible sorrow overwhelmed the phoenix. He hopped onto the wizard's chest, looked into the blank eyes, and started to cry.

Suddenly the wizard's eyes weren't quite so blank anymore, and then the wounds in his throat began to heal. Maybe he wasn't dead?

The bird's tears turned to tears of joy when Severus gasped for air and started fumbling with his robes. Fawkes fluttered to the side and watched as Severus pulled out a bezoar and choked it down. Then he washed it down with the contents of several potion vials.

_That's the way! Good wizard, smart wizard!_ the bird thought as he hopped up and down on the dirty floor.

The phoenix managed to fly Severus out of the shack, but the wizard was too weak to hold on for very long and he fell into the weeds as soon as they were outside. Clearly, Severus needed to rest for a while, and anyway it was still dark, so Fawkes settled onto the dilapidated fence and started to preen.

Fawkes liked Severus. In some ways Severus reminded him of Albus. Albus had made mistakes when he was little more than a fledgling, bad mistakes, but then he'd realized that. He'd been lost in regret for a time, and then he'd started to change and grow. He'd become powerful and wise, at least until near the end when, in Fawkes' opinion, his thinking had started to get rather flaky. Wizards had such short lives compared to a phoenix. It was sad. Fawkes had watched so many come and go.

Severus had made bad mistakes when he was young, just like Albus had, and after he'd finally gotten the remorse under control, he'd started to grow. He had already become quite powerful, and he even showed a bit of wisdom sometimes, too.

Actually, Severus reminded Fawkes of a vulture, with his plain black plumage and elegant beak. Fawkes liked vultures. They had a certain dignity as they went about their work, cleaning up the nasty things that no one else was willing to touch. Not like those scatter-brained owls, always flitting around with their letters and packages. Fawkes didn't care much for owls.

Albus, on the other hand, had been more like an unusually colourful puffin, but with the heart of a hawk, and the mind of ... well, a common loon, actually. Fawkes missed his Albus. He'd loved the old bird despite his flaws. He would have to find himself a new wizard one of these days. Perhaps he would adopt Severus. It would be interesting to watch the man mature. Severus had more than a century left in him, and he could be quite entertaining at times.

In fact, Severus was quite entertaining when the Thestral showed up. Fawkes knew he shouldn't laugh after what the poor fellow had just been through, but he chortled to himself anyway. The Thestral had been attracted by the smell of blood, and when it started to nibble at the wizard's blood-soaked cloak, it woke him up. When Severus found himself staring into the scaly snout of the Thestral, his eyes got as big as dinner plates and he jumped like he'd been hexed. He swore and swatted at the beast. It backed off and watched him expectantly. It was hungry, poor thing.

Then Severus seemed to have an idea. He rummaged in his cloak and started to empty its magic pockets. Fawkes watched as he brought out an assortment of potion vials, a Death Eater's mask, some scrolls, a couple of books, a silver dagger – a precaution against werewolves, no doubt – a few sickles and knuts and, yes, a small bag of Albus' favorite lemon drops! They were Fawkes' favorite, too.

Severus got to his feet with difficulty, took off the bloody cloak, and waved it at the Thestral. "Come on then, beast!" he sneered, "dinner is served!" He turned, picked up the mask, and led the Thestral into the shack. Fawkes took the opportunity to pounce on the lemon drops.

After a short while Severus returned without cloak, mask, or Thestral, and he slumped down against the side of the shack to rest. Fawkes could sense his plan. Severus wanted to go away and start over somewhere else. He wanted everyone to think he was dead. If anyone came for his body now, they'd find the place a shambles. The floor would be covered with bloody hoof prints and cloak fragments. A Death Eater's mask would be lying in the muck. It would look like hungry Thestrals had consumed Severus' mortal remains. No one would give the matter a second thought.

Fawkes liked the plan. He knew that Severus had done something shocking for Albus. Albus had insisted on it, and the bird understood that it was necessary, but most people wouldn't be eager to forgive Severus. It would be best for him to leave now. Fawkes knew a place where they needed someone who could make medicinal potions; someone who could help them and teach them. Fawkes would adopt Severus and take him there. There was a shaman there who could help him recover and heal.

Fawkes fluttered over to Severus and squawked at him. The sun would be coming up soon. It was time to get moving.


	2. Chapter 2: CSI Hogsmeade

Chapter 2: C.S.I. Hogsmeade

"Oh, yuk!" Hermione said as she stared at the filthy floor in the Shrieking Shack. "That's where he was lying when we left. What in the world happened here?" She and Luna had volunteered to go get Snape's body. The boys were busy with the mess at Hogwarts.

Hermione increased the light from her wand and looked around. The floor was covered with tracks, and there was no sign of a body.

Luna knelt down for a closer look. "Look at these hoof prints! They look fresh. I think they're from a Thestral. I think these funny marks could be tongue tracks."

"You think maybe Thestrals ate the body and then licked up the blood?" Hermione was shocked. "That's disgusting! We should have come sooner." She ran her finger across one of the tracks and looked at it. "This looks like dried blood mixed with dirt."

Luna picked up a piece of shredded black fabric. "This is from a Death Eater's cloak, isn't it? There are lots of these. And there's a mask over there by the wall. But I don't see his wand anywhere. Or his boots. Do you think Thestrals would have eaten his boots? Were they leather? Maybe Thestrals will eat leather if they're really hungry."

Hermione was crawling around examining the floor closely now. "There are lots of tracks here. I mean, it's not like anybody's ever cleaned in this place. There are fresh boot prints, they're probably Snape's and Voldemort's, and here are our footprints, too. These big slide marks must have been Nagini. Ewww. There are a few bird tracks, I'm guessing a vulture, and some faint wolf tracks; those must have been Professor Lupin's from a long time ago." There might be some werewolf droppings around, too, and maybe bat guano. She was going to have to Scourgify her pants after this.

"I don't think there are any vultures in the British Isles," Luna observed.

"Here's a potion vial. Three of them, in fact." Hermione held one up to the light. The neatly written label said 'Antivenin.' She looked at the other two. Blood Replenishing Potion, and Extra-Strength Pepperup.

A strange look came over Hermione's face. "Uh, Luna, I'm starting to think maybe Professor Snape wasn't dead."

"Oh, that's nice," Luna said.

"But Luna, we just left him lying there. We never even _tried_ to help him. That's awful!"

"Well, maybe he did all right on his own." Luna took the vials and examined them. "Yes, that's Professor Snape's handwriting. These were his. And they're empty."

Hermione stood up and dusted herself off. "The professor must have regained consciousness and taken the potions after we left. He dropped the empty vials, and discarded his cloak and mask. The Thestrals must have gotten in after that. They licked up the blood and chewed up the cloak. And maybe it wasn't a vulture; maybe it was a phoenix! That would certainly explain a lot of things. We'll have to tell the boys!"

"Um, maybe you should keep that theory to yourself, Hermione," Luna said quietly. "If Professor Snape wanted us to know he's alive, he would've contacted us by now. He didn't have any friends, you know, and a lot of people on both sides are going to be very unhappy with him. He'd probably like everyone to think that he doesn't exist anymore. You know, sort of like a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the mention of Snorkacks, but she realized that Luna had a point. Maybe it would be best to just let the professor disappear. It was the least they could do, really.

"Come on, Luna," she said. "Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

As they walked out through the dilapidated fence, Hermione stopped and looked back. "I feel so bad about it. He did so much, you know, and he nearly died in there. I wish we could thank him somehow."

"Well," Luna said, "we could wait a while until he gets settled somewhere, and then owl him a thank-you note. I'm sure an owl could find him. We could send him a gift-subscription to _The Quibbler_, too."

Hermione tried to imagine the look on the professor's face when he opened the note.

"Yes, that's a good idea, Luna. Let's do that, but I think maybe we should skip _The Quibbler_. Or maybe not," she mused, as a vision of their much-feared Potions Master wearing Spectrespecs and reading _The Quibbler_ popped into her head. "Anyway, let's go back to Hogwarts and get cleaned up. We'll tell everyone about the Thestral tracks and the missing body, and they can draw their own conclusions."

Luna smiled. It was good to know that the professor had survived. Too many people hadn't.

The girls took a last look back at the shack. The sun would be setting soon. It was time to get moving.


	3. Chapter 3: A Day on the Knight Boat

**Chapter 3: A Day on the Knight Boat**

Severus Snape lay in a hammock in the passengers' quarters as the Knight Boat sped through the water. He didn't care where the boat was heading, as long as it was away from the British Isles, away from Hogwarts, away from the Shrieking Shack. It was twice now that he'd faced the fangs of a Dark creature in that shack, twice that he'd barely escaped death there. He wished he'd had the presence of mind to Incendio that filthy hovel before he'd left.

Despite the phoenix tears and an assortment of his own potions, he still felt awful. The hellish snake had injected him with a considerable amount of venom, in addition to tearing out half of his throat. He'd been taking antivenin for months before the attack, of course, and he'd taken a full dose of Felix Felicis when Lucius had summoned him to the Dark Lord, too, but all of his precautions had barely been sufficient. He was surprised that he was still alive.

It wasn't completely clear to him why the Dark Lord had suddenly turned on him like that. It was some nonsense about owning the Elder Wand. The man was totally mad. The Elder Wand was just a myth, wasn't it?

He remembered how he'd been terrified that he'd die without being able to reach Potter. He'd thought all was lost, but then the boy and Granger had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He didn't believe in miracles; it must have been the Felix Felicis, kicking in at last.

It wasn't clear why the phoenix had come to him, either. He'd sacrificed everything to carry out Dumbledore's plan, of course, sometimes against his better judgment, but despite the fact that he had risked his life repeatedly in the struggle against the Dark Lord, he knew that Albus Dumbledore had never really cared for him. Fawkes must have come of his own accord. Perhaps that was the Felix Felicis, too.

He wondered what had happened at Hogwarts after the snake had attacked him. He supposed that Potter was dead by now – he was surprised how much that thought pained him – and he passionately hoped that the Dark Lord was dead, too. There was nothing more he could do now, in any event. He was too weak. He never would have made it to the boat if it hadn't been for the phoenix.

He'd expected the bird to leave after it had flown him out of the shack, but the phoenix had stuck around. It had shepherded him to the lake, and squawked at him until he'd stuck out his wand to call the Knight Boat. When the boat popped up out of the lake, the bird had accompanied him on board, and it was probably still around somewhere. He knew that because he'd heard someone in the galley yelling, "That darned bird ate all of our after-dinner mints!" It could only have been Fawkes. Owls don't like mints, and the captain's parrot probably didn't, either.

Well, it didn't matter. Fawkes was an extremely powerful and nearly immortal magical creature, but he was still a bird, and his brain was probably a bit smaller than a wet teabag. There was no point in trying to make sense of him.

Severus listened to some of his fellow passengers betting on a game of chess as he slowly went back to sleep. He wondered if he'd have any more weird dreams like that one about Merlin in King's Cross station. Where had that come from, anyway? It must have been delirium, from the poison and the potions.

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The Knight Boat looked somewhat like the Yellow Submarine in the old Beatles cartoon, except that it was red, the Fab Four were nowhere to be seen, and the crew sometimes tried to talk like pirates, even though most of them were from places like Pittsburg. Usually the boat stayed submerged, but today it was running on the surface because the weather was good and there were no Muggle vessels in the area.

The captain – Captain Clark – had invited the new passenger with the black robes to stay on board for as long as he liked, after the fellow had hexed a swarm of doxies out of the bilge. "Them darned things been down there for a couple o' decades," he remarked to the cook, "and nothin' anybody did ever fazed 'em in the slightest. Then that bloke comes along and he runs 'em off like there's nothin' to it, just because their buzzin' annoyed 'im. A bloke like that could be handy to have around if there's trouble."

Doxies are remarkably curse-resistant, of course, but they didn't stand a chance against a wizard who'd spent many years in the service of the Dark Lord. Not that Captain Clark or his crew knew much about the Dark Lord. None of them were British, and although they'd heard that there was some sort of wizarding war going on there again, they weren't much interested in it and hadn't bothered to follow the news.

"That feller, he says his name is Slade. Solomon Slade. Do ya suppose that's his real name?" said the cook, who insisted on calling himself 'Seabiscuit.' "He's got that vacant look, ya know, like folks get when they've lost everythin'."

"Well, he'll fit right in with our bunch then," Clark said. "They all start off like that. But that bird o' his is a real nuisance. It keeps peckin' at the navigational charts. It's startin' to wear a hole in one of 'em. It's a phoenix, I know, but still …"

Seabiscuit laughed. "I know; it ate all o' me mints, too. Maybe it's just tryin' ta show ya where it wants ta go. But a phoenix ain't somethin' that ya pick up at yer local Owl Emporium. The phoenix chooses the wizard, after all, not vice versa. Which just shows ya how powerful that feller must be. Most wizards 'ave never even seen a phoenix. This guy's got one that follows him around."

Captain Clark nodded. Yes, bird or no bird, Mr Slade would be a good man to have aboard.


	4. Chapter 4: A Moment with Minerva

**Chapter 4: A Moment with Minerva**

Fawkes was worried about his wizard. It must have been an extremely difficult time for Severus, trying to carry out Albus' plan all alone, and it had culminated in that terrible attack in the Shrieking Shack. The poor man had to be traumatized. Fawkes knew a shaman who could help him come to terms with what he'd been through, but first he had to get Severus to the man's village, and Severus was showing no inclination to go anywhere at all.

Repeated attempts to show the captain where he wanted to go had gotten Fawkes nowhere. Captain Clark was either to stupid to understand, or he was deliberately ignoring Fawkes' attempts to communicate. Fawkes suspected the latter. The captain was something like a big seabird, he thought. A skua, perhaps. Skuas are quite smart, and fierce, too, although they're nothing compared to a phoenix, of course.

So Fawkes and his wizard were stuck on this stupid boat. It was frustrating.

But things could be worse. At least the crew seemed to be trying to look after Severus, in their own peculiar way. Severus had no appetite, but Seabiscuit the cook somehow managed to nag him into eating more or less regularly anyway.

The cook also kept trying to bribe Fawkes with sweets. He made a really good dessert thing called pecan pie, and Fawkes was becoming quite fond of it.

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Severus stared out the porthole watching the sun rise. His physical injuries from Nagini's attack were mostly healed, except for some jagged red scars on his throat, but the damage to his soul remained. Perhaps, given enough time, it could heal. He wasn't sure. He didn't know much about souls. Maybe nobody did. Albus had certainly been no help in that regard. If the old man had known anything, he'd kept it to himself.

Thinking of Albus reminded him of Hogwarts. He'd sworn to himself that he was going to put his past behind him, including Hogwarts. Especially Hogwarts. He was going to forget it all and start over, but the memories kept popping up, as memories always do.

Had the school survived? Who would be Headmaster now? Minerva would probably take the helm, assuming she survived. The old Gryffindor was certainly annoying, but she was quite competent, in her own stuffy way. He almost smiled when he remembered how she'd attacked him. She could still put up a good fight. He hoped she was all right. And Filius. And Sprout. And the rest of the staff.

He was going to have to find a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ somewhere.

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A tear trickled down Minerva's cheek and she smiled as she stared at the portrait. She'd always been a hopeless romantic, and she was a sucker for tragic tales of love gone wrong. She'd been rocked when Harry told her the story of Snape's hopeless love for Lily. He'd lived it right under her nose, and she never even knew, never imagined that he'd had that kind of depth. In fact, she'd never imagined that any Slytherin had that kind of depth. She was going to have to try to be a wee bit more open-minded about Slytherins after this.

That was going to take some effort. She'd never liked Slytherins. In fact, it would be fair to say that she strongly disliked them. All of them. She always took points from them whenever she could. That was probably where Snape had learned it, when he was still a student. And when he became a professor – she'd been furious when Albus had hired him – he'd made a point of beating her at her own game. Oh, that had made her so angry! As fast as she could take points from Slytherin, he'd take them from Gryffindor even faster. She'd never missed an opportunity to lecture Albus on what a presumptuous young upstart he was.

She remembered what he'd been like when he'd first arrived at Hogwarts as a boy, so thin and ragged and suspicious of everyone, but so excited, too. Within a year, he'd shed all traces of that Muggle accent he'd had. He was always in the library, and quickly fought his way to the top of his class. She could never find fault with his work, although she'd certainly tried. She'd chalked it up to Slytherin ambition, but perhaps it wasn't really a vice to want to make something of oneself.

She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him, all those years after Lily's death. The pain must have been unceasing, unbearable. His suffering had been so tragic, so beautiful. She mopped another tear with her handkerchief.

And then, horror of horrors, he'd been forced to kill Albus! He'd tried to refuse, Harry had told her, but when the time came, Snape didn't really have much choice, did he? Had Albus planned it that way, or had it just been Snape's bad luck? It must have shredded the poor man's already damaged soul. And what purpose had it served? It had gotten Snape appointed as Headmaster, of course, but it had also marked him for death as the master of the Elder Wand. She wondered how Snape had reacted when Albus told him about that part.

And why had Albus told _her_ nothing? Nothing about the Horcruxes, nothing about the Elder Wand? She could have helped, if she'd known. Helped hunt the Horcruxes, and helped Snape when he was Headmaster. It hurt to realize that Albus hadn't trusted her enough to tell her.

Snape's year as Headmaster must have been horrid for him, being unable to protect the students properly without giving himself away. It had certainly been horrid for her and the other teachers. But in hindsight, it was obvious that he'd been helping them discretely, behind the scenes. Why had she not seen it at the time? Perhaps because she'd wanted to think the worst of him. He'd certainly gone out of his way to be as infuriating as possible, and it had been a very effective strategy.

It had been madness to attack Severus the way she had, but she'd been so overwrought from the unremitting stress of it all that she hadn't been thinking clearly. After all, she knew perfectly well that she wasn't as fast or as strong as she used to be, and Filius probably wasn't, either. Neither of them had practiced dueling in ages. It was fortunate that Severus hadn't sent the both of them to join Albus. (And just when had she started thinking of him as 'Severus' instead of 'Snape' anyway?)

She shuddered to think of the way that he'd died. That filthy, hideous snake! It was dreadful! He'd been so brave.

And then, to top it all off, the Prince family patriarch, old Reginald Prince himself, had turned up with his solicitor in tow, demanding the body "to entomb with honour in the Prince family mausoleum." She hadn't known whether to laugh or hex the old fool. The Princes had disowned his mother and never acknowledged his existence, but now that he'd been publically acclaimed as a hero and there was talk of the Order of Merlin, they suddenly wanted to claim him as their own. A bunch of hypocrites, that's what they were!

When she explained why the body was not available, the old codger had demanded "some of his relics." Relics? So she'd fetched a set of his dress robes, and she'd even transfigured a nice silver cloak-pin to put on them – the Princes would never know that it hadn't belonged to Severus. They could put _that_ in their musty old crypt!

The portrait's dark eyes seemed to stare back at her from the canvas. He looked elegant in his black teaching robes, just as he had in life (she' always assumed he'd learned poise by watching that horrible Lucius Malfoy). His right hand held his wand, and his left held a potions book to his chest.

Why hadn't the portrait become animated yet? It had been completed by Wizarding Britain's foremost portrait artist, after all; Harry had insisted on the best. Perhaps it would come alive tomorrow, at the official unveiling ceremony.

She wiped another tear from her eye, and poured herself a wee dram of whiskey. "Here's to you, Severus," she said, raising the glass. Severus Snape had finally earned her respect. It was too bad he wasn't around to appreciate that fact.


	5. Chapter 5: News from Home

**Chapter 5****: News from Home**

Technically, his student years at Hogwarts had been the best years of Severus' life, but given the way his life had gone, that wasn't saying much. He had enjoyed his studies, of course, and there had been the wonderful moments when Lily had still been his friend, but that had ended in disaster.

Everything had changed after the 'prank' in the Shrieking Shack. That was when he'd realized that his life meant nothing to any of them. Even Lily didn't seem to really care. That was when the balance had tipped and he'd started heading down the path to the Dark Lord.

Thinking back on it, Severus realized what he should have done that night so long ago: he should have shoved James Potter aside and bared his throat to the werewolf. He'd have died with his throat ripped out, in a pool of his own blood, but would that have been so much worse than what Nagini had done to him? It would have gotten Potter and his pals kicked out of Hogwarts, right along with dear old Albus Dumbledore. Severus would have been dead, of course, but Lily might still be alive. She might even be married to someone decent. And the Dark Lord? Well, he would have been someone else's problem.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the First Mate, a young man called Katfish.

"Hey, Slade," Kat said, thumping him on the shoulder, "come on down to the mess and have some tea. We picked up some really primo tea when we stopped in Mumbai."

Severus considered hexing the fellow, but decided it would be unwise under the circumstances. Anyway, perhaps some tea wouldn't be such a bad thing. Glumly, he followed Kat to the mess.

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Kat was right; the tea was indeed excellent. Severus was savoring his second cup when an owl flew in through a porthole, dumped a package in front of him, and flew out again. They must be somewhere near the British Isles, he realized. There are limits to how far an owl can fly across open water. Seabirds might agree to take mail occasionally, but for the most part, transoceanic messages had to go by portkey or, for low-priority deliveries, by ship. Knight Boats usually carried more mail and freight than passengers.

Who could be sending him something? It looked like a letter and a newspaper, wrapped up together. Someone must suspect that he'd survived! It was probably a death threat, or an attempt at blackmail. He'd better not open it in front of the crew. Casually, he put it aside and took another sip of his tea.

"Hey, that looks like _The Quibbler_," Seabiscuit said. "Can I have it when you're done? _The Quibbler_ has the Confounding Cryptogram puzzle." The cook loved puzzles, and the Confounding Cryptogram was one of his favorites.

"When I'm finished," Severus replied. Why in the world would a blackmailer be sending him _The Quibbler_? He slid the note and the newspaper into one of his magic pockets, finished his tea, and set out to find a private place to read.

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"Birdie num-nums!" Seabiscuit said, proffering a tray of sweets. Fawkes accepted the offering, of course. It brought back memories of ancient Egypt, where the priests used to bring him dates and honey cakes. They considered him sacred to the sun. Sometimes they would sing to him. He hoped the cook wouldn't sing.

Fawkes knew exactly what the man was up to. He wanted to collect droppings, and the more he fed the phoenix, the more droppings there would be. Phoenix droppings were not as valuable as phoenix tears, but they were still worth a bundle on the potions market. Albus had always used the money for the Hogwarts library fund. The cook had been buying top-quality groceries, exotic teas, and fine wines for the mess, and then giving the remainder of the profit to Severus. There was no harm in that, Fawkes supposed, as he sampled another sweet.

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Severus slipped into the cargo hold, chased out the ship's kneazle, cast some privacy wards, and sat down on a crate. By the light of his wand, he could see that the envelope was addressed in a neat, feminine hand that looked vaguely familiar.

He cast the spells to see if it was poisoned or cursed, before he opened it cautiously and read: "_Dear Professor Snape …hope this finds you well … want to thank you so much … appreciate everything you've done … won't mention this to anyone …_" Good! "_… if there's anything we can do ... Hermione and Luna._"

Granger and Lovegood? Well, that explained _The Quibbler_.

As idiotic as _The Quibbler_ was on most topics, its news was sometimes more reliable than anything in _The Prophet_. The front page proclaimed Voldemort's defeat in huge letters, and beneath that was a list of the dead, surrounded by a thick black border. The list was so long that it continued onto page 2. The names were in alphabetical order, with no regard to which side the deceased had been on. Severus was on the list. So was Tom Riddle, under 'R' on page 2. Riddle was also listed under 'V' for 'Voldemort', although not under 'Y' for 'You-Know-Who.'

Potter wasn't on the list! Severus scanned the P's twice, to make sure. Against all odds, the boy must have survived, although he couldn't imagine how, and the Dark Lord had perished anyway. Severus felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He was relieved to see that there were no Malfoys on the list, either, and none of the Hogwarts professors. But Nymphadora was there, and Lupin … a Weasely ... Bellatrix …Crabbe … Creevey … Severus knew most of the dead, one way or another, except for a few of the house-elves and other non-humans. His colleagues. His enemies. His students. He felt sick to his stomach.

Severus stared at the list for a long time, lost in thought. When he finally looked up, Fawkes was perched on a crate across from him. It made him think of that poet Poe, and the raven that had haunted him.

"How did you get in here?" he muttered, scowling at the phoenix.

Fawkes cocked his head, looked at Severus with one golden eye, and then he began to sing.

[**A/N:** Next time: Song of the Phoenix.]


	6. Chapter 6: Song of the Phoenix

**Chapter 6****: Song of the Phoenix**

In the time that they'd been together, Fawkes had chirped, peeped, squawked, twittered, chortled, crowed, and even shrieked a few times, but this was the first time that Severus had heard him sing. It was like nothing Severus had ever heard before. It was haunting and strangely beautiful. It was also a bit hypnotic. The melody seemed to penetrate to his soul. The tension started to drain from his body. His mind began to drift. He began to dream.

He was back in King's Cross station again. Or maybe he'd never left. Light was pouring down from above, and a wizard in dark blue robes was standing there, looking at him. He knew it was Merlin. He'd always thought that Merlin would be much older, but he didn't know why. Time was such a funny thing.

"Is the train due yet?" Severus asked. "I should leave. I'm finished now." But where was he going? Who would be there? Suddenly he felt lost.

Merlin smiled, and it gave him a strange feeling of déjà vu. "Finished? Oh, no, I don't think so. As I've said, your train isn't due for quite a while yet. You could wait here, I suppose, but really, you ought to go back. There's so much to do."

"No one would want me back," Severus said sharply. He wondered why Merlin was speaking contemporary English, rather than ancient Welsh or Cornish or something.

"Well, you can be rather acerbic," Merlin noted. "However, one rarely sees such a fine example of courtly love these days. You took a rather ordinary young girl and made her into a symbol of everything that's right and good."

Courtly love? Severus nearly choked. He tried to protest, but the words wouldn't come. Remorse overwhelmed him. He'd been such a fool.

Merlin looked a bit fuzzy. Severus noticed that they were in a garden now.

"You've been so faithful to the ideals that she represents for you," the ancient wizard told him. "Just like one of Arthur's knights. You've tried to rectify the mistakes you made, you've shown great courage, and your soul has grown in the process. It's so nice to see. You still carry her tokens, do you not?"

Severus looked down, and the torn fragments of the letter and the photograph were in his hand. Lily waved at him from the photograph.

Merlin was starting to remind him of Minerva when she'd been reading those trashy romance novels. "I stole those," Severus told him, "and I doubt that there's anything left of my soul."

Merlin smiled. "Your soul certainly did suffer a lot of damage, and much of it was self-inflicted, as you know. But as I said, your soul has grown since then, battered and imperfect though it may be, and it will heal as you continue on your quest."

"My 'quest' is over and done with," Severus snapped.

Merlin smiled at him. "Well, that depends on what you think your quest is."

Now the man was starting to sound like Albus Dumbledore.

Merlin slowly faded away, except for his smile.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Severus awoke with a start. He was surprised to find that he'd drifted off to sleep. Fawkes was staring at him. He remembered the bird singing. Then he remembered the dream. He'd dreamed of Merlin again. In King's Cross station, of all crazy things. It was meaningless, of course. He did feel somewhat better, though. He must have needed the rest.

Severus reached over and gently stroked the bird's long neck. The red and gold feathers sparkled in the wandlight, and Fawkes closed his eyes and twittered happily. Severus frowned. The bird had better not want to sit on his shoulder or anything like that. It was almost as large as a peacock, and probably twice as heavy.

Severus tore out the Puzzle Page to give to the cook, and then he tucked the rest of _The Quibbler_ into one of his magic pockets. His hand touched the pieces of the letter and the photograph. He'd always known that it was foolish, but the illusion that she'd loved him had given him the strength to carry on during those terrible days after he'd been forced to kill Albus. He'd been totally alone, struggling to protect whomever he could while trying to placate the Dark Lord. And all the while he'd been tormented by the certainty that he was doomed.

Severus pulled out the fragments, crushed them in his hand, and turned to the porthole to drop them into the sea, but a quick glance reminded him that the Knight Boat was currently submerged. Well, it could wait. He smoothed out the fragments and tucked them back into his pocket.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

During the next few days, the Knight Boat stopped in Hong Kong, Detroit, Santiago, Melbourne, Lake Baikal, and several hidden places with names so secret that nobody knew them. Cargo was picked up and delivered. Passengers came and went.

Severus kept busy helping Katfish renew and strengthen the ship's many protective spells. There were spells to repel icebergs, charms to hide the ship from muggle eyes, spells to prevent leaks, and even spells against barnacles. The strongest and most complicated were the wards against sea monsters.

"We've gotta transfigure your clothes into something more suitable for seafaring," Kat declared.

Severus gave him a look that would have curdled milk. "They're fine the way they are," he growled.

Surprisingly, Kat didn't back down. He probably would have been in Gryffindor, had he ever been sorted. "We've at least gotta charm your boots so they stick to the deck better. Or do you wanna sleep with the fishes?"

Reluctantly, Severus realized that Kat had a point. It proved to be a slippery slope.

Kat had a large sea chest filled with muggle clothes and pirate regalia. The only clothes Severus had were the ones he'd been wearing when he fled from the shack. He'd been cleaning and repairing them with magic every night.

"Here," said Kat, tossing a pair of muggle jeans and a black t-shirt to Severus. He dug deeper into the sea chest and pulled out a turtleneck sweater, some rain gear, a pea coat for cold weather, and a tank-top for working in the tropics. "And here's a bandana to keep the sun off your neck." Kat assumed that Severus would actually want it to hide those nasty scars. It looked like someone had tried to cut the man's throat with one of those muggle chainsaw things.

Next came several packages of underwear and socks from a muggle place called Wal-Mart. "How about some pirate gear?" Kat asked, grinning. "You'd look kind of like Basil Rathbone in _Captain Blood_. That would be really cool. The ladies would love it!"

Severus had no idea what the young wizard was talking about. "Keep that up, and _you're_ going to sleep with the fishes," he snarled, glaring at the clothes. He'd have to turn most of them black. Especially that stuff from Wal-Mart. He stalked off to change.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

The trouble started one night when they stopped in Dublin and picked up a few passengers. It wasn't unusual for the boat to pick up dodgy passengers. Knight Boats are the favored mode of transportation for witches and wizards who want to travel long distances without attracting attention.

When they can't apparate because the distance is too great, most people go by portkey. It's fast and reliable, but it's also rather pricey, and the authorities keep track of all the comings and goings. By broom, there is always the danger of falling asleep and crashing during long flights across oceans. And to travel by muggle means, one needs muggle money and muggle identification. So Knight Boats are often the best option: they're affordable, reliable, and the crews don't ask too many questions.

Most suspicious travelers tend to keep to themselves because they don't want to be noticed. This bunch was different, however. They went straight up to the bridge, pulled their wands on the captain, and hijacked the ship.


	7. Chapter 7: Pirates

**Chapter ****7: Pirates**

Severus, Katfish and Seabiscuit were sitting in the mess playing three-way wizard chess (Severus was winning, of course) when three of the hijackers burst in with drawn wands.

"Nobody move!" Dolohov shouted, as they pointed their wands.

Everyone froze, including Severus. There was no way they could draw their wands fast enough, and they knew it. Severus was furious. He'd been caught unprepared. He'd gotten too complacent on the boat. It had seemed so safe. In the old days, he would have had his wand in the sleeve of his robes, or even out on the table. Tonight he was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, and he'd stuck the wand in his boot. With his feet under the table, there was no way he could reach it in time.

It took a moment before Dolohov realized who he was looking at. His mouth dropped open and his eyes bugged out. "You!" he said. "They said you were dead!"

"Hello Anton," Severus said calmly. "And Thorfinn … Stan. What an unexpected surprise."

Kat and Biscuit looked at each other.

"Search him, Shunpike," Dolohov ordered. "Get his wand. Then do the others. And be careful! That lying half-blood scum betrayed us."

Dolohov and Rowle kept Severus covered while Shunpike searched him and took his wand. "I betrayed the Dark Lord because he tried to kill me," Severus told them. "He set that filthy snake of his on me, and I don't even know why. So yes, I betrayed him. I thought I was dying and I wanted revenge, so I did my best to send Potter after him. You'd have done the same. I have no quarrel with the rest of you."

"No?" Dolohov sneered. "So the rest of us were just, what do they call it? Collateral damage? Anyway, Potter said you betrayed us years before that, all because you loved his mommy."

Severus laughed at that. "Potter will believe anything, especially stories about his beloved mommy. It's almost too easy to deceive him. Dumbledore lied to him for years, and the brat never caught on." Unfortunately, it wouldn't be nearly as easy it to deceive Dolohov.

Dolohov snorted and turned his attention to the others. "Who are you two?" he demanded.

"I'm the First Mate," Katfish said cautiously, "and this guy is the cook. Slade here is, um, our navigator."

"Slade, is it?" Dolohov chuckled. "That's a good one. I like it!"

He turned to Kat. "My friends and I have no place to go at the moment. We have to keep moving, or the Aurors will catch up with us. So we thought we'd take up piracy for a while. You can join us, or you can walk the plank, as they say. So what'll it be?"

Kat figured that the hijackers needed them to run the boat, but he thought he'd be pushing his luck to say so. "Sure thing," he said. "We've been thinking about turning pirates anyway, haven't we, Biscuit? Knight Lines is a bunch of cheapskates. They don't pay us anywhere near what we're worth."

Severus was glad to see that he wasn't the only one with a talent for lying.

"Knight Lines?" piped up Stan, who was covering them from behind. "Knight Lines is a bunch of crooks! I used to work for those gits. Everybody hates 'em!"

"You bet!" said Biscuit, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Dolohov smiled. "Good. That's the kind of talk I like to hear. But I'm not sure we can trust your friend 'Slade' over there. I think we may have to do away with him."

Severus appeared unperturbed. "Nonsense," he said. "I would be quite useful to you, as you well know. I'm not going to turn on you. I'm in the same situation that you are. It would be unwise for me to return to Britain, so I'm looking for new opportunities. The boys and I have been considering piracy, but up until now, we didn't have enough manpower. If we join your group, we would be a very effective force.

"Perhaps," Dolohov said. "I'll have to think about it. Are you three all of the crew? Are there others? What about passengers?"

"We're all of it," Severus told him. He knew that the Death Eaters would find out anyway. He told him about the couple from Melbourne, too. "They're the only passengers at the moment. They're in the passengers' quarters. We can hold them for ransom." If Dolohov thought they were worth something, maybe he wouldn't kill them.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

"Have you seen this?" Harry asked, holding up _The Daily Prophet_. He was having breakfast with Ron and Hermione. They were back at Hogwarts to help with the rebuilding. Even with magic, it was going to be quite a challenge getting the school ready to reopen on time.

"The Prince family held a big ceremony to honour Snape. They made sure that _The Prophet_ was there, of course."

"Pureblood snobs," Ron muttered, as he poured another glass of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Listen to this: Reginald Prince claims that Snape 'showed the power of the Prince family's pure blood', because he was able to do heroic deeds despite the 'taint of Muggle influence'. Then he went on and on about all their famous ancestors, including the Sheriff of Nottingham. Did you know that they claim descent from Sir Mordred?"

"No, but I can believe it," said Ron. "Anybody want some more sausages?"

"Anyway, he called Snape 'a worthy son of the Prince family'. I wish Snape was still around. I'd give anything to see his reaction to that. From a safe distance, of course."

Hermione smiled and buttered a piece of toast.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

The Death Eaters made the captain anchor off an uninhabited island while they searched the ship. It turned out that there were only four of them, the forth being Yaxley, who had stayed on the bridge to watch the captain.

Dolohov broke the wards on the cargo, and Yaxley and Rowle stood guard over everyone while Shunpike searched through the crates. It was painfully clear that the Death Eaters were not going to trust any of them, not even for one split second.

"It's just a bunch of junk," Shunpike said in disgust. There were several crates of potion herbs, a shipment of exotic hardwoods for making wands, some crates of books in foreign languages, and a few sacks of mail. None of it appeared to be particularly valuable.

When they were done, Dolohov locked the two startled passengers in the cargo hold and set the wards. The passengers had been smart enough to tell him that their son was a famous Mediwizard who wouldn't hesitate to pay a huge ransom. Maybe it was even true.

Next they searched the captain's cabin. While he watched them, it occurred to Severus that Fawkes was by far the most valuable thing on the ship. If Dolohov found the bird, he'd want to sell him for potion ingredients. Phoenixes are extremely rare, and phoenix parts almost never appear on the market. There were rich collectors who would gladly pay ridiculous amounts to have a genuine phoenix eye in a glass jar to display on their mantelpiece.

He'd have to find a way to protect Fawkes. And the crew, of course. It wasn't that he _liked_ the bird. Of course he didn't. The thing had no sense. None at all. The fact that it had devoted itself to Albus Dumbledore for several decades was proof enough of that. And if that wasn't stupid enough, now it was following Severus around. Clearly, it was crazy. However, the phoenix had saved his life. He ought to return the favor.

"Nothing here," said Dolohov. So far they'd found no valuables and no weapons. It was disappointing, to say the least. "Move along and keep looking. There must be something valuable somewhere on this stupid ship."


	8. Chapter 8: Fish and Chips

**Chapter 8****: Fish and Chips**

Fawkes was sleeping when the cabin door swung open. It was night by ship's time, but with the vessel jumping magically between time zones and latitudes, daylight and darkness came at random. Fawkes tended to make a racket whenever it got light, and no one appreciated being awakened at odd times by a crowing bird, so Severus had hung a curtain in front of Fawkes' perch to keep it dark for him.

Fawkes yawned, stretched his wings, and peeked around the edge of the curtain. What was this disturbance? Severus usually came in quietly.

Fawkes watched as Severus and the seafarers entered the cabin, followed by four strangers. He didn't like the look of the strangers. The oldest one had a long face and was heavily built, and reminded him of a baboon. He was being very bossy. There was also a big blond one, a tall one, and a sullen young pup.

Before they could notice Fawkes peering at them, Severus walked over and stood in front of him, blocking him from view.

Fawkes was annoyed. How was he to see with Severus standing in front of him? He was being ignored, and he was _not_ going to put up with it. Maybe he should give Severus a peck. He craned his neck to see around the wizard, but fortunately the Death Eaters didn't notice. They were busy joking about a pirate hat that they'd found in Kat's sea chest.

Furtively, Severus reached behind him and shoved Fawkes back behind the curtain. The bird promptly bit him. Severus didn't flinch. He'd endured Crucio from the Dark Lord, after all, and a phoenix bite was nothing by comparison. None the less, it hurt more than he would have thought, and it was probably bleeding. He thrust the wounded hand into his pocket. Stupid bird!

There wasn't much to search in Severus' cabin. Stan sneered at a pair of the now-black briefs from Wal-Mart, and tossed them back into the locker. "Nothing here," he said.

"Let's get on with it then." Dolohov was getting hungry, and they still had to search the cook's quarters and the kitchen.

Fawkes considered emitting an ear-splitting shriek to show his displeasure. This was _not_ how a phoenix expects to be treated. Then he realized that he was in the dark again, so he did what any sensible bird would do: he fluffed his feathers, closed his eyes, and went quietly back to sleep.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Seabiscuit cooked fish and chips for everyone, while Yaxley watched over him to make sure that he didn't slip any poisons or potions into the food. The cook smirked, knowing that they hadn't searched his kitchen thoroughly enough to find his charmed liquor cabinet. He didn't want to see any of his good wine and brandy wasted on this nasty bunch of pirate-wannabes. It was too bad that he didn't have a spare wand or two stashed in there along with the booze.

Dolohov eyed the crew while he ate. He was ready to strike them down if any of them made a suspicious move. They all seemed to be Americans, except for Snape, of course. There probably wasn't a single drop of pure blood in any of them. The captain was obviously part African, and there was no telling what the other two were. They were just a pack of mongrels. Pirates were supposed to be like that, he supposed, but really, it was rather distasteful. Dolohov himself came from an old Eastern European pureblood family, and he was a graduate of Durmstrang.

Captain Clark poured some ketchup on his fries and made sure that he looked unconcerned, even though he was seething inside. In his many years at sea, he'd fought off his share of sea monsters, and pirates, too, but these guys had simply strolled onto his bridge, disarmed him, and hijacked his ship. The nerve of them! He felt like a fool. He'd find a way to take back the Knight Boat, or he'd die trying. They'd regret the day they'd set foot on his ship.

Rowle helped himself to more fish. Things had been so good before the Dark Lord had got himself killed. Rowle had loved all the torturing and killing. There had been lots of loot, too. The Dark Lord always let them keep whatever they stole from their victims. But now they were on the run and they had nothing. He hoped Dolohov would let him kill someone soon. Snape, for example. He needed to take his pent-up anger out on someone.

Kat sipped his coffee and looked over at Seabiscuit. These jerks must be some of those Death Eater guys that Slade had spied on. Yeah, he and Biscuit knew about that. Biscuit had picked up a _Daily Prophet_ to get the Wizard's Weekly Word Puzzle, and even though he didn't usually read the thing, it was hard to miss the picture of Slade scowling from the bottom of the front page. There was a full-page story inside about how his name was Snape, how he'd been a professor and a double agent, and been killed, and been given some medal, and all that. They hadn't mentioned it to him, of course, because he obviously didn't want to talk about it, but they showed the story to Captain Clark.

Yaxley poured some vinegar on his second helping of chips. He was looking forward to some action. He wasn't sure how much shipping the wizarding world was doing these days, but he'd read stories about muggle sailing ships that carried rich cargos of gold and jewels. They would be easy prey. Being a pirate would be even more fun than being a Death Eater. He could hardly wait!

Stan Shunpike gobbled down his food and then sat staring at his empty plate. How had he gotten himself into this mess? His family was very poor, but they were purebloods, none the less. The Dark Lord's minions had promised him a better life (and maybe a Veela or two), and Stan had believed them and joined up. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that he'd made a terrible mistake, but it was too late. After he'd botched a simple courier mission, they had told him he was a useless bungler and then they'd Imperiused him. He wasn't sure what had happened after that. He'd better owl his mom and dad and tell them he was all right.

Severus watched the Death Eaters out of the corner of his eye while he ate. Dolohov was the most dangerous. He'd served the Dark Lord since the early days. He was cunning, ruthless, and powerful. Yaxley was a bit crazy, Rowle was a brainless thug, and Shunpike was a desperate kid who'd gotten in over his head. Shunpike was the weakest link, but it would be a mistake to underestimate any of them. Severus would have to bide his time and wait for one of them to make a mistake. At least they hadn't found Fawkes. If they harmed the phoenix, he'd make them pay. When he was done with them, they wouldn't wake up until the millennium, if then.

He sighed inwardly. His life certainly had changed. After years of trying to protect the Potter brat, now he was trying to protect a bird. It was definitely an improvement.


	9. Chapter 9: The Cargo Hold

**Chapter 9****: The Cargo Hold**

"What was _that_?" said Dolohov.

"Something crowed," said Yaxley.

Severus' heart sank. Fawkes had awakened. If only he'd had an opportunity to slip the bird a sleeping potion, or cast a silencing spell on him. Or better yet, tell him to get lost and chase him out a porthole.

"It's probably Mavis, the captain's parrot," Seabiscuit said, smiling nervously.

"That was no parrot! Keep an eye on those guys," Dolohov said as he drew his wand and left the mess.

Severus started to get up, but Rowle stepped in front of him and pointed his wand. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"I thought I'd get more tea," Severus said as he slowly stood up. Maybe if he could tackle Rowle and keep Rowle's body between himself and Yaxley, then Kat and Biscuit would have a chance to …

Yaxley wasn't going to fall for that. He lunged toward Severus. "Sit down!" he ordered. "Nobody's going anywhere until Dolohov gets back."

Severus sat down. Getting himself stunned or killed wasn't going to help anyone. He would have to contain his fury and wait for a better opportunity.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Fawkes stretched his wings and pushed the curtain aside to let the sun stream in. He crowed again and looked out the porthole. Seabirds wheeled over the island, and a few hardy flowers bloomed among the rocks. It was a beautiful day. Perhaps he'd go out for a flight after breakfast.

When he heard the door open behind him, he assumed it was Severus. Then he heard someone shout _"Stupefy!"_ and everything went black.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Rowle and Yaxley were still standing guard over Severus and the sailors when Dolohov came back carrying the limp phoenix. He flopped it onto the table and sneered at Severus. "Thought you'd keep this for yourself, did you?"

"He's my bird, and I see no need to share," Severus snarled. Fawkes had better not be injured. He hated the Cruciatus curse, but if they harmed Fawkes Severus would give them all a few rounds of Crucio before he left them for the Aurors.

"I can't believe it! A phoenix! He's worth a fortune!" Dolohov laughed. "I'm impressed. You managed to steal Dumbledore's phoenix. But you shouldn't have tried to hide him from me. That wasn't smart." He turned to Yaxley and Rowle. "Take 'Mr Slade' and lock him in the cargo hold until I decide what to do with him."

Dolohov looked down at the unconscious phoenix and cast a strong sleeping spell on him. "I know a certain potions dealer who will be very happy to see you. Very happy indeed!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Severus stood in the cargo hold and listened to them resetting the wards. He was fuming. Why hadn't he bothered to spell any magic pockets into his new clothes? The few items that might have been useful were in the pockets of his old jacket in his locker. He was an idiot!

He started tearing through the crates that Shunpike had searched. The herbs were all medicinal herbs. Nothing dangerous. Nothing explosive. Nothing that would help. He slammed the crates shut and opened the wand-wood shipment. He tried out a few of the sticks, but they were useless without cores. Nothing happened.

He'd have to try wandless magic. He'd spent a lot of time practicing, and he had mastered wandless magic as well as anyone could, but ward-breaking required good focus, and it was impossible to focus magic properly without a wand.

"Excuse me," said the lady from Melbourne. "My name is Lydia, and this is my husband, Jack."

Severus had forgotten about the two passengers. "Don't bother me!" he snapped. "Go sit down and stay out of the way!" The last thing he needed right now was a couple of chatty passengers. No, that was wrong. The last thing would have been Potter and Longbottom, or maybe some Weasleys. The passengers were the next-to-last thing.

Lydia looked at Jack and rolled her eyes. Then she and Jack went and sat down in a corner.

Severus concentrated, trying to focus wandless magic on the wards. Soon he felt the ship vibrate as the magic engines started up, and then he felt the ship dive. Wherever they were going, it couldn't be good.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Despite his best efforts, Severus hadn't made much progress by the time he felt the ship surface and come to a halt. Dolohov's wards were tough. He was getting a headache, but he kept trying. It was all that he could think of to do.

"I should be able to help, now that we've surfaced again," Lydia said, breaking his concentration.

"And just how do you propose to do that?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We'll show you," said Jack. He walked over and opened the porthole. "There you go, dear."

With a soft pop, Lydia turned into a rather large, iridescent green dragonfly and flitted out through the porthole. She was an Animagus! It was all that Severus could do to keep from looking astonished.

"That's my gal!" Jack said proudly.

Severus dashed to the porthole and looked out. "Call her back!" he said. "Those men are desperate killers. She won't stand a chance against them."

"Don't worry," Jack said, smiling. "I'm sure she'll manage. She's really quite resourceful."

They were barking mad, both of them; Severus was sure of it. He went back to the wards, working frantically. As if he didn't have enough to worry about with Fawkes and the crew, now he had to try to keep Lydia from getting herself killed. Things were going from bad to worse.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Severus thought he could finally feel the wards starting to loosen when he heard footsteps outside. He felt the wards go down and Rowle flung the door open, pointing his wand. "Get back!" he shouted.

Severus stepped back while Captain Clark and his crew filed in under the watchful eyes of the Death Eaters. Then Rowle slammed the door and Dolohov reset the wards. Now Severus would have to start over again.

"What's going on?" he asked Clark.

"We're anchored off a rocky coast in the north of Scotland," the captain said. "Apparently there's some trader here who specializes in illegal potion ingredients and exotic poisons and stuff like that. Dolohov says he came here a couple of times to get stuff for the Dark Lord."

Severus knew all too well what kind of 'stuff' it probably was. He used to wonder where the Dark Lord got some of those things. He almost shuddered.

"They're all going to go ashore, except for that young guy. They're leaving him on guard duty. They want to sell Fawkes."

That was more or less what Severus had expected to hear, and it did not improve his mood. "If any of you have any ideas, now is the time to say so," he told them.

Nobody answered, so he returned to attacking the wards.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXX

Time passed slowly as they watched Severus work. It seemed hopeless, but he wasn't going to give up. Then they heard something scrape softly against the hull.

"Oh look!" Jack cried, pointing at the porthole. A wand was slowly sinking into view, dangling at the end of a string.

Severus reached out and grabbed it. It was Shunpike's. It didn't feel right in his hand, but it was a lot better than nothing. He pointed it at the door and the wards came down. A quick Alohomora took care of the lock.

They stepped out to find a smiling Lydia waiting for them beside a nervous-looking Stan. "Stanley and I had a nice talk, and he has agreed to help us," she told them. "We didn't know how to break the wards, so we lowered his wand to you. The rest of them have all apparated to shore."

A nice talk? Severus wondered what had really happened. He stifled an urge to thank her and headed for the deck, followed by the others. "Stay with the ship and go for help," he told them all. "I'm going to get Fawkes." With that, he dove over the rail and started to fly.

"Wow!" Kat said as he watched Severus fly across the waves. "That is so cool! I didn't know that was possible."

"Get my broom!" Captain Clark bellowed. "If Slade thinks I'm gonna let him go out there alone, he'd better think again. I'm gonna go kick those hijackers' mangy butts all the way back to wherever they came from!" He had no idea how he was going to do that without a wand, but he was way too angry to care.

Biscuit quickly fetched three brooms. "These are all we've got," he said.

"We only need one," Clark told him. "You guys are staying here."

"Oh no we're not," Kat said, and everyone nodded, even Stan.

**A/N: Next time, Showdown!**


	10. Chapter 10: Showdown

**Chapter 10: Showdown**

Trader Jones and his wife Susie were an attractive young couple who were dressed as if they were about to set out on safari. They were thrilled to see the unconscious bird. They'd never dreamed they'd have an opportunity to buy a phoenix. He would be reborn repeatedly, no matter what they did to him, so they could sell parts of him over and over again!

Jones shook Dolohov's hand firmly. "It's good to see you again! I was so sorry to hear about the loss of the Dark Lord. Tragic, it was." He shook his head sadly. The Dark Lord had been one of his best customers. "I was saving some nice human pineal glands for him. The pineal is the seat of the soul, they say."

He beckoned to his wife. "Bring whiskey for our guests, dear."

After Susie had poured each of them a generous glass of firewhiskey, Jones lead them out to a large barn behind the house where he kept a variety of cages and tanks. There was a large iron cauldron in one corner, and flies were circling around a heavy wooden table and very bloody chopping block.

"Lock your phoenix in that empty cage over there and take a look at these lovely specimens." He pointed to a pair of wyverns in a large cage. "Magnificent, aren't they? I've been selling their teeth and scales, and their brains will bring a pretty penny when I'm done with them. Watch out for their tails – they have poisonous stingers."

Next he showed them a panda cub. Its ears had been cut off and sold for potion ingredients. There were also a couple of sad-looking orangutans, and a cage full of Cornish pixies. Shelves by the back door held preserved specimens. There were bottles of pickled pygmy puffs, assorted eyeballs, a few baby skrewts, and some nasty-looking dried insects. Human hands floated in a large jar near the door. Dolohov thought he saw one of them twitch, and he downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp. Susie promptly refilled his glass. It was always so much easier to negotiate a favorable price when the guests were sloshed.

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Severus crept toward the barn. If these fools had any wards they'd taken them down to admit the Death Eaters. He'd seen five people go into the barn: the three Death Eaters, a man who was probably the potions dealer, and a woman who was probably his wife or girlfriend.

He reached the barn and pressed himself against the wall. There was an open window beside the front door and he peered in cautiously. The Death Eaters were near the back door, chatting with the dealer and the woman. Fawkes was lying unconscious in a cage. If he was going to take on five people with Stan Shunpike's wand, Severus knew he would have to be very careful.

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Captain Clark rode his broom across the waves. He was flanked Biscuit and Stan on one broom, and Kat and Jack on the other. A dragonfly perched on Jack's shoulder. They could have apparated to the shore, Clark realized. The roar of the breakers would have drowned out the sound of their arrival.

They landed as close to the house as they dared. It was a quaint little cottage sitting alone on a moor. The only other building in sight was a large barn in the distance behind the cottage.

"All of you stay put while I take a look around," Clark told them sternly, but of course as soon as he was out of sight they took the opportunity to creep up to the cottage and peek through a window. They didn't see anyone inside, so they decided to do some investigating of their own. Kat slid the window open and climbed in. The others followed cautiously, except for Lydia, who flew off behind the house.

The place was definitely creepy, despite the cheery flowered curtains and pink couch. There was a collection of strange-looking skulls on the mantelpiece, and a stuffed gorilla stood by the front door. The mounted heads of a hippogriff, a dolphin and a giraffe stared blankly from the opposite wall. All the animals had fierce expressions frozen on their faces, even the dolphin. "These folks are definitely into some weird stuff," Kat observed.

They were snooping through the books on the bookshelves when they heard a grunt behind them. The stuffed gorilla had started to move and was shambling forward slowly, its arms outstretched toward them.

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Very carefully, Severus pointed Stan's wand through the barn window and cast a nonverbal _Alohomora_. Despite his use of an unfamiliar wand, the spell popped every lock in the place. No one noticed except the Cornish pixies, who immediately started trying to get their cage door open. The dealer and the Death Eaters were busy drinking and talking, and Susie was refreshing everyone's drink again.

Good, thought Severus. Now all he'd have to do is wake the phoenix and create a diversion while the bird escaped. He cast a silent _Finite Incantatem_. Everyone noticed that right away because it ended the dealer's _Glamour_. Suddenly he and Susie were revealed as they really were: a drab, shifty-looking couple dressed in old, blood-stained work clothes. The Death Eaters stared in surprise.

It also ended the sleeping spell, and Fawkes' eyes popped open.

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If Severus had seen Fawkes in action against the basilisk, he would have known that escape would be the last thing on the bird's mind, but all he'd been told was that the bird had 'helped Potter' and brought him the Sorting Hat. He didn't know what Fawkes had done in the battle at the Ministry, either. Albus never told anyone anything more than he had to, and it goes without saying that the Dark Lord had never mentioned the matter.

Fawkes shrieked and exploded out of the cage. In all the millennia, no one had _ever_ dared to attack him like that! Baboon-Face would pay for this outrage!

Dolohov spun around and saw Fawkes flying straight at his face with claws extended. He started to raise his wand, but then thought better of it and ducked instead. That probably saved his life because Fawkes barely missed his head. The phoenix was moving too fast to turn and shot out through the open back door.

Severus leaned in through the window and snarled "_Stupefy_!" as he cast a stunner at Dolohov. The red flash streaked through the barn, but with Stan's wand the spell wasn't quite strong enough and Dolohov managed to deflect it with a shield charm.

Rowle took cover behind a stack of crates and cast _Crucio_ at Severus, but he was tipsy from the firewhiskey and nearly hit Dolohov instead. While Dolohov was swearing at Rowle, Severus took a quick look around for Yaxley. He couldn't spot the third Death Eater anywhere, but he saw the dealer and the woman standing beside an empty cage, swatting frantically at a swarm of pixies.

Dolohov had been relatively restrained in his drinking and unfortunately he was much more sober than Rowle was. He pointed his wand and was about to shout "_Petrificus_ …" but Severus cast again. This time his spell hit the shield so hard that it knocked the words out of Dolohov's mouth and forced him backward. Then Severus cast at the crates and sent them crashing down on Rowle.

In a drunken rage, Rowle cast a ferocious Killing Curse that was accurate enough to make Severus duck back out the window and drop down flat on the ground. The green flash exploded through the window and showered Severus with glass shards and wood fragments.

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As soon as he had seen Severus, Yaxley had slipped behind the orangutan cage. There was no way he was going to duel Severus Snape! No, he had a much better plan. He would sneak around the outside of the barn and get behind Snape. With luck he'd have a clear shot at the man's back. This was going to be fun!

While the others were distracted he cast a charm to hide any noise and then he opened a nearby window and slipped out unnoticed. He grinned drunkenly as he tiptoed through the grass along the edge of the barn, anticipating his victory.

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"Open that door!" Kat shouted, pointing at a heavy wooden door that probably lead to a cellar. It creaked ominously as Jack pulled it open, and a nauseating smell poured out. Stan gagged.

Kat pulled down a curtain and stepped in front of the lumbering gorilla, waving the curtain like a bullfighter's cape. "Come on, King Kong, come to Papa," he crooned as he backed toward the open door. At the last moment he threw the curtain over the gorilla's head and dodged to the side. Working together, they pushed the gorilla down the stairs, slammed the door, and barricaded it with the pink couch.

"Crikey!" Jack said as they listened to the gorilla bumping around in the cellar.

Biscuit piled a coffee table on top of the couch. "Let's get out of here before the captain finds out."

"Yeah," Kat agreed. "I don't think he'd be too happy that we stirred up a zombie gorilla."

Stan was already on his way out the door.

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Lydia hovered near the panda's cage. She could see the entire interior of the barn with her huge multifaceted eyes. Severus had ducked out the window and appeared to be safe for the moment. Then she noticed a pixie trying to let the wyverns out of their cage. She darted over and clacked her mandibles at it. It squeaked and fled. _Ah ha!_ she thought, _they're frightened of me._

The rest the pixies were still taking their revenge on Jones and Susie. They bit them, pulled their hair, and poked at them with sticks. _They're such nasty little things!_ Lydia thought happily. Buzzing and clacking, she darted over to the pixies and separated a half-dozen of them from the rest of the group. Then she started to herd them toward Dolohov.

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Dolohov swore. Everything was going wrong. He'd lost the phoenix, and it was all Snape's fault. He should have killed that treacherous, back-stabbing son of a muggle when he had the chance. And where was Yaxley, anyway? That useless idiot had picked a fine time to disappear.

"Keep Snape pinned down!" he shouted to Rowle. He would slip out the back door and surprise Snape with a sneak attack. Snape would be caught between him and Rowle, and he would have no trouble stunning the traitor. Then they could go after the phoenix, and finish Snape off afterward at their leisure. That would be entertaining. Maybe they could even sell his pineal gland to Jones after they were done with him. Yes, he would enjoy that.


	11. Chapter 11: The Hands of Doom

**Chapter 11: The Hands of Doom**

As Fawkes flew back to the barn he saw Severus drop to the ground just ahead of a green flash. His wizard was trying to help! That was so sweet of him! But Baboon-Face and his lackeys might hurt his wizard. He'd better get to work.

Fawkes wheeled and dove through the front door. "The phoenix!" Jones shouted, forgetting about the attacking pixies. "Stun him! _Stupefy_!"

Fawkes rolled and dodged the spell easily. Baboon-Face had been his intended target, but this idiot was asking for it. Fawkes grabbed Jones by his wand-arm, and the man cried in pain as the claws sank in and he was ripped from the ground.

"_Stupefy_!" Susie yelled as Fawkes sped out the back door carrying her husband, but her spell missed. She started to run after them but a pair of pixies tripped her with a length of wire they'd found, and she fell flat on her face on the floor.

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Severus was pleased. He'd accomplished his objective and freed the phoenix. Now it was time to get out of there. He started to get up off the ground, but a series of spells and curses flashed out through the wrecked window and he dropped back down. It was _not_ a good time to get up. Then he saw Fawkes fly back into the barn. He groaned. What was that stupid bird thinking, anyway? Didn't he know when to quit?

Cursing and swearing to himself, Severus crawled out from under the window and crept around the corner of the barn. Maybe if he could get to the back door, he could stun Dolohov and Rowle before they realized he was there. Then he'd have to hunt down Yaxley. Where was that dunderhead, anyway?

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Yaxley reached the front of the barn just in time to see Snape disappearing around the corner. "That won't help you," he sang softly, "I'm gonna get ya!" He dashed past the front door, ducked under the shattered window, and looked around the corner. Sure enough, there was Snape with his back turned, sneaking along the edge of the barn. It was almost too good to be true. He could nail the guy with his own curse! "_Sectumsempra_!" he cried.

Unfortunately for Yaxley, that was the moment when Dolohov happened to come around the opposite corner of the barn. Severus spotted Dolohov, and as he dropped into a crouch and started to raise his wand, Yaxley's curse passed over his head and sliced into Dolohov's arm. Dolohov cursed obscenely, grabbed his wound, and vanished back behind the barn.

"Oops!" said Yaxley. Now he was in for it. Dolohov would kill him for sure.

Severus whirled around to cast at Yaxley, but the Death Eater had dashed back around to the front of the barn where, to his surprise, he came face to face with Captain Clark and the bunch from the boat. Before he could raise his wand, Clark clobbered him with a broom.

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Dolohov ran back into the barn. His arm was bleeding and it felt like it was on fire. He'd kill that lazy lummox Yaxley just as soon as he was finished with Snape! But first he had to tend to his arm. Where was Rowle? He turned to look for the man, when suddenly a pixie poked him in the eye with a stick.

Dolohov jerked sideways and convulsed in pain. Clutching his eye, he staggered into the shelves beside the back door. They wobbled precariously and the jar of hands hit the floor and shattered. Dolohov slipped in the liquid and fell.

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Fawkes flew up over the barn carrying Jones, who was swearing and kicking frantically. He gripped the dealer's arm tightly so the man couldn't use his wand. He had to get back into the barn. It was Baboon-Face that he really wanted. Baboon-Face was the mastermind, and he had to be stopped. But first Fawkes had to get rid of his struggling burden. What should he do with the idiot? Maybe he should just drop him. Then he spotted his friends from the boat fighting with someone in front of the barn.

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The severed hands had scattered across the floor when the jar shattered. They began to twitch, and then one by one they rose up on all five fingers, as if they were about to play the piano. They moved slowly at first, walking on their fingertips, and soon they were hopping and scuttling around like pink and brown spiders. One scooted over to Dolohov who was lying on the floor, holding his bleeding arm and trying to wipe his eye. It extended its index finger to touch his leg. Dolohov didn't notice. Then the hand took hold of his pant leg and started to climb.

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Yaxley had put up quite a fight, but Clark and the gang managed to subdue him and stun him with his own wand. Clark was putting the finishing touches on an _Incarcerous_ spell when Susie came running out the front door with the pixies and the dragonfly in hot pursuit.

"Get her wand!" Clark yelled. Biscuit promptly tackled her, but she kicked him in the head and would have gotten loose if Stan and Jack hadn't piled on, too. She threw Jack off and gave Stan a nasty head-butt. Kat pounced, but she rolled out of the way and sprang to her feet, ready to duel with Clark. If there had been a Wizard Wrestling Federation she would have been a star.

Fawkes, meanwhile, had found an excellent way to get rid of Jones. He swooped down and dumped the dealer on top of Susie.

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Rowle stuck his head out the shattered window to look for Snape. The half-blood was nowhere to be seen. Then his alcohol-fogged brain realized that there was some sort of ruckus going on out there. It was all those jerks from the boat, fighting with Jones and his wife. Well, he'd put a stop to that. And so what if he hit Jones and the woman, too? Then they could rob the place and be on their way. Why bother to sell anything when they could just take the money?

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Severus stepped through the back door of the barn with a sneer on his face and Stan's wand in his hand. Even without his billowing black robes he was a fearsome sight, not that anybody noticed. Dolohov was lying on the floor moaning, and Rowle was leaning out the window.

Seeing that Dolohov was out of action for the moment, Severus hit Rowle squarely in the arse with a stinging hex, followed immediately by a full-body bind. Rowle jumped and yelped, and then he stiffened and fell out the window like a lead brick.

_Good_, Severus thought. _That's one down. Now for Dolohov …_

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Dolohov felt something moving on his chest, and something else on his leg. At first he thought it was his imagination, but then he looked down. His vision was blurry, but there were … hands! … severed hands, crawling on his body! He screamed and scrambled to his feet, thrashing at the hands, but they hung on and continued to climb.

"Help me!" he screamed. "Get 'em off me!"

One of them reached his throat and started to squeeze.


	12. Chapter 12: A Show of Hands

**Chapter 12: A Show of Hands**

Fawkes flew back into the barn. He was going to get Baboon-Face! But then he saw Severus staring at the man. The Death Eater was dancing around and trying to fight off a bunch of … hand-creatures?

How delightful! How imaginative! Fawkes had planned to take revenge himself, but his Severus had already taken care of it for him. The other phoenixes did not keep wizards, Fawkes knew, but he couldn't imagine why. Wizards could be so entertaining and their antics were so much fun. It was so thoughtful of Severus to have arranged this show for him. Cackling happily, he landed in the rafters and settled down to watch.

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Severus stared in amazement for a few moments. Dolohov's face was turning bright red as he struggled with the hands that were gripping his throat. Perhaps he ought to do something about it, he supposed, even though Dolohov certainly didn't deserve any help.

"Hold still, you idiot!" Severus shouted as he fired a stinging hex at one of the hands. It missed as Dolohov twisted and thrashed. Well, that was easily remedied. "_Petrificus Totalus_!" Dolohov froze, and then one by one, Severus's spells forced each hand to lose its grip and fall to the floor.

Some of the hands tried to scamper away, but Severus worked quickly and levitated each of them into the big iron cauldron. Then he dropped the heavy lid on it and secured it with a locking charm. He could hear the hands scrambling and scratching inside, like crabs in a bucket. It made his skin crawl.

Then he felt something on his leg. To his horror, a long-fingered, feminine-looking hand had just crossed the top of his boot and was starting up his pant leg. He'd missed one! He pointed his wand at it, but it scurried behind his knee where he couldn't hex it, and then it started climbing up the back of his leg. It tickled! He twisted around trying to find some way to cast at it, and it pinched his bum! He swore. The nerve of the thing!

Fawkes squawked with glee! This was almost as much fun than the time that Lockhart had tried to turn Peeves into a grapefruit!

Severus sat down as hard as he could, smashing the hand against a crate. He could feel it squirming weakly beneath him. Then he sprang to his feet, leaving the thing exposed. As it staggered up onto its fingertips he cried "_Levimanus_! Now I've got you!"

The hand waggled its middle finger at Severus as he floated it up into the air. He sneered back at it, and when he dumped it into the cauldron with the rest of the hands, he placed a double locking charm on the lid.

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Severus quickly searched Dolohov and recovered all of their wands. I felt wonderful to have his own wand in his hand again! Then he rushed to the front door and looked out.

He was greeted by an amazing sight: Yaxley, Rowle, the dealer and the woman lay stunned and bound on the ground, and everyone else was running around trying to shoo away pixies. The dragonfly was helping them.

"Go back to Cornwall, ya nasty little devils!" Biscuit snarled as he swung his broom at a clutch of them. They cheeped and flitted away unharmed.

"I thought I told you people to go for help," Severus shouted at them. Although perhaps it was just as well that they hadn't. He certainly didn't want to have to explain himself to a bunch of Aurors.

"And miss all the fun?" Clark called back, laughing. "Not a chance!"

Severus scowled and resisted the urge to hex him.

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It was after Severus had levitated Dolohov out of the barn and placed him with the others that they saw the gorilla. It had finally escaped from the cellar and it was lumbering slowly toward the barn. The remains of a flowered curtain hung from its shoulders like a tattered poncho.

"What … is _that_?" asked Captain Clark.

Well, it, um, looks sort of like a zombie gorilla," Biscuit said, trying to sound innocent.

"Well, now I've seen everything," the captain said as he drew his wand.

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Fawkes watched curiously from the barn roof as Severus and Clark cast stunners at the gorilla. Judging from the intensity of the red flashes, they were powerful spells, but they had no effect at all. What was this thing? Some sort of bizarre Inferius? Fawkes had never seen anything quite like it. The gorilla continued to move mindlessly forward, and his friends started to back up.

Fawkes decided to intervene before anyone got hurt. He swooped off the roof and struck at the gorilla's eyes. His claws clicked against something hard and he realized that the eyes were glass. Oops! Maybe this wasn't going to work as well as it had with the basilisk. The beast reached for him and he flew off.

Then Severus tried a different approach: "_Finite Incantatem!_" The gorilla staggered and then slowly came to a stop, like a wind-up toy that had run down. Severus had stopped the spell that was controlling it.

Fawkes circled the gorilla and cawed at Severus. That was a clever move. He and Severus made a good team! He returned to the barn roof and crowed.

"That poor animal," Lydia said, staring at the motionless gorilla. She had returned to her human form. "No creature should end up like that."

"No worries, dear," Jack said as he put his arm around her. "I'm sure its soul is long gone. That thing is just an empty husk. Those two yobbos must have killed the poor thing and enchanted its corpse."

"I'm glad we put a stop to their cruelty," Lydia said sadly.

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Seabiscuit apparated to the ship and brought back a batch of corned beef sandwiches, a pot of coffee, some Pepperup potion, and some sweets for Fawkes. He also brought Kat his favorite pirate hat. Now that the excitement was over, they realized that they were all exhausted. No one except Fawkes had slept since the hijacking had started, and there was still a lot to do.

First, there was healing to be done. Lydia was unscathed, but Stan had a broken nose, Biscuit had a black eye, and there were lots of nasty cuts, scratches, bruises and pixie bites on almost everyone, including the stunned prisoners. Dolohov's eye and arm were in bad shape, but Severus and Clark did what they could, and he would recover.

Next, they had to decide what to do with their prisoners. "I'd like to Obliviate them, if you don't mind, Captain," Severus said to Clark. "It would be simpler if they didn't remember us." Of course, what he really meant was that it would be simpler if they didn't remember _him_. If they told everyone that they'd seen Severus Snape, it would complicate his life immensely. It was so much simpler being Solomon Slade. He still had to bear all the pain of his past, all the guilt, remorse and sorrow, but at least he didn't have everyone in wizarding Britain hounding him because of it.

The captain knew exactly what he meant. "Go right ahead," he said. It would simplify things for him, too. There would be no questions to answer, and no paperwork to do. "It's fine with me if they can't remember anything that happened after they got to Dublin."

So Severus cast a strong sleeping spell on each of them and set to work modifying their memories. He'd had plenty of practice with memory modification during his years as a spy, and he was quite skillful at it.

He started with Rowle. He opened the big Death Eater's eyes and looked into his sleeping mind. It was a simple mind, mostly empty except for thoughts of violence, and he had no trouble finding the memories and removing them.

Yaxley's mind was more interesting. He was having a colorful dream about several veelas and a very large puffskein. Severus was tempted to stay and watch for a few minutes, but he knew he had to go after the memories instead.

Jones' mind was a nasty place. It filled with greed and little else, although Severus found out that his real name was actually Melrose Hogg. No wonder he'd changed it to Jones. Susie was real brain behind their partnership; her mind was filled with all sorts of complex schemes. She was the one who'd created the spell that had animated the dead gorilla.

Dolohov's mind was just plain scary. Memories of repulsive things that he'd done and enjoyed lurked everywhere. His memories of the hijacking were stubborn and hard to remove, but Severus managed to pry them loose. He was careful to leave behind enough memory of the hands to give the Death Eater some very vivid nightmares, however.

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They locked the sleeping prisoners in some of the unoccupied animal cages while Severus made a quick search for useful brewing equipment and potion ingredients. He found some interesting books in the cottage, too. The things he missed most about Hogwarts were the library and his potions lab.

Biscuit had just returned from feeding and watering the animals. Thoughtfully, he'd left bowls of Acme Monkey Chow and water for the prisoners, too, in case they were hungry and thirsty when they woke up. "I'd watch out for the cellar," he warned. "There's something down there that smells really rotten."

Severus opened the door a crack, caught a wiff of it, and quickly shut the door again. "Burmese stinkhorn fungus," he said. "They must be growing it down there. Vile stuff."

"What's going to happen to the animals?" Biscuit asked. "We can't just turn 'em loose in Scotland."

"The Ministry can take care of them," Severus told him. "I suggest we call the Aurors and leave before they get here. They'll seize the illegal substances, arrest the prisoners, and return all the creatures to wherever they came from."

"What do you suppose they'll do with those horrible hands?" Lydia asked.

"They'll probably end up in the Department of Mysteries, along with the gorilla. They like that sort of thing there," Severus told her.

"Well, let's call the Aurors and get out of here then," said Clark. "Has anyone seen a floo around here?"

"I know an easier way," Severus told him. He stepped outside, pointed his wand into the air, and shouted "_Morsmordre!_" Black smoke and green sparks shot into the sky, and the Dark Mark bloomed over the site.

"That will bring them quickly enough."

"Cool!" said Kat. "Will you teach me how to do that?"

"Absolutely not," said Severus.

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Severus stood on the deck watching the moon rise while the others headed below. Fawkes had flown back earlier and was probably sound asleep on his perch.

"Come on," Biscuit called, "we're gonna celebrate!"

"In a moment," he replied.

He felt the deck vibrate under his feet as the captain started the magic engines and the ship turned out into the Atlantic. Laughter floated up from the passengers' lounge below decks. It felt good to be alive.


	13. Chapter 13: Digressions

**Chapter 13: Digressions**

"And don't forget, you two, if you put so much as one toe outside of the grounds, or put your finger on a wand, you'll be back in Azkaban before you know it," the Auror said sternly.

As if they could forget. The house-arrest spell would zap them back automatically. Lucius bit back a sharp reply and simply nodded. Draco turned and looked toward the manor. "Can we go now?" he asked.

The Auror snorted and disappeared with a loud crack. The noise startled the white peacocks, and Narcissa looked out the window. "They're here!" she cried to the house elves. "Fix them some food!" Then she ran out the door and down the long driveway to embrace them.

She nearly smothered Draco. "I'm okay, mom, honest," he insisted, hugging her back. "Take it easy! You'll crush me to death on my first day home."

Then she threw her arms around her husband. "Wait, dear," he said, drawing back a bit. "I'm sure we smell terrible."

"Not as bad as last time," she laughed. "They must have let you bathe before you left."

"Actually, things are a bit better there now," he told her. "It's warmer, and they give us clean clothes and let us take showers twice a week."

"I think I like the stubble," she said, kissing him. "It makes you look wild and savage."

"Well, I don't feel wild and savage," he said, smiling tiredly. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

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"I'm not sure what we're going to do," Minerva said. "It looks like very few of the Slytherins will be returning. Their parents are a bit upset that their children were 'driven out' before the battle, and now they say that everyone believes that their children were all Death Eaters, each and every one of them, even the first years."

The Heads of Houses were gathered in Minerva's office for a staff meeting.

"I can't imagine how _that_ could have happened," a sarcastic voice said from across the room. It was the portrait of Phineas Black.

Filius Flitwick frowned. "They're all going to drop out? That won't bode well for their futures."

"Being branded as Death Eaters has ruined their futures anyway," Phineas said, "so I really don't see what difference it will make."

Minerva ignored Phineas and continued. "The ones who can afford it say they are going to hire tutors or send their children to other schools abroad. Some are going to try home schooling. And the parents of some of the new students are threatening to sue if their children are sorted into Slytherin. You wouldn't believe some of the Howlers I've had!"

"Slytherin house will be almost empty, then," Horace Slughorn said quietly. He looked despondent.

"Which brings me to another problem," Minerva said. "The Sorting Hat was badly damaged by Voldemort during the battle, and I'm afraid that my repair spells haven't been able to fix it. It seems happy enough, but its words are all gibberish now. The new students will be arriving next month, and I'm not sure it will be able to sort them."

The Hat stirred on its shelf. "Huwawah!" it said happily.

"Hmmm," said Filius. "Maybe one of us should put it on and see what happens."

"Good idea," Pomona Sprout said. She put the Hat on her head.

"Frazzengavit!" it cried.

"Now take it off and put it back on again," Filius told her. "If it says the same thing again, then we'll know that 'Frazzengavit' means 'Hufflepuff'."

Pomona did as he asked. The Hat said, "Wheechee!"

Filius sighed. "Yes, it seems that we do have a problem."

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"I'm not so sure about becoming an Auror," Harry said, staring into his butterbeer.

"Don't worry, mate," Ron said. "They're glad to have us; we're war heroes."

"That's what worries me. We aren't really qualified to be Aurors. We defeated Voldemort because of my mom's protection, and because of that stuff about the Elder Wand. But that isn't going to work against ordinary blokes. And most of the stuff that we learned in Defense was useless. Lupin and Snape were the only ones who taught us anything useful. As Aurors, we'll be going up against a lot of people who know more and have more experience than we do."

"They're going to be training us. It will work out. You'll see." Ron signaled the waitress to bring more crisps.

"Yeah, maybe, but we didn't even finish school. And a lot of the time, we weren't really paying attention. Hermione won't be there to help us any more. We depended on her a lot."

"Do you want me to try to talk her into becoming an Auror, too?"

"No," Harry laughed, "I don't think she'd go for that. Maybe we should just hit the books, you know, try to fill in the gaps. We missed a lot of stuff."

"That's because we were busy worrying about Voldemort."

"True, but that's not going to make any difference if we have to face down some murderous lunatic."

"I hope you're not suggesting a QwikSpell course," Ron said. He was starting to realize that Harry might be right.

Harry laughed again. "No, but I think we'd better get to work. I wonder if Hermione would tutor us?"

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

An interspecies romance was completely out of the question. Mavis, the captain's parrot, was a beautiful bird, but a phoenix mates only once, at the end of its life, which wasn't going to be any time soon. If they went around laying eggs all the time, the world would be so full of phoenixes by now that there would be no room for left anything else. Besides, she was a parrot and he was a phoenix. It would be inappropriate. Fawkes explained that to her, and told her they could only be friends.

To cheer her up, he told her how Queen Semiramis had built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon just for him (or so he believed; it never occurred to him that the Queen might have had some additional motives). She had been a powerful witch, and it was a shame that jealous people had sullied her reputation with lies and attributed her accomplishments to others. Fawkes missed her. She had been a fine old gal.

Mavis smiled inwardly (outwardly, parrots always look like they're smiling). The phoenix was so vain, thinking that she had a crush on him. Well, maybe she did, just a little bit, but she knew that it could never work out. He was way too old for her.

She told him how she'd been kidnapped by bird smugglers when she was just a fledgling. She'd managed to escape in Amsterdam while they were trying to sell her, but it was winter and she wouldn't have lasted long if she hadn't flown over a canal where Captain Clark spotted her. He caught her with a spell and brought her into the boat where it was warm. He tried to return her to the Amazon, but she refused to leave. She had become fond of him, and she liked life on the boat. Maybe some day she would go home to find a mate, but right now she was enjoying the adventure. Especially now that she had Fawkes to tell her tall tales. He was such a silly old bird, and so handsome, too. They chattered together for hours.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I've been dreaming about a long, hot bath ever since … well, ever since …" Draco didn't want to think about the recent past. He let it drop.

"Take as long as you want, son," Lucius told him. "I'll bathe in one of the guest rooms."

He and Narcissa moved to the couch in front of the fire to let the house-elves clear the table. "_We'll_ bathe, dear," she whispered.

"You're going to scrub my back, are you?" Lucius grinned. "It's good to be home. You and Draco are all that I have in the world. Well, aside from my wealth and the manor, that is."

"_Our_ wealth, darling, _our_ wealth. And I'm not going to let them take it away from us." She paused for a moment. "The chances are very good that you and Draco will be pardoned. Potter told everyone how I'd helped him, and I've been telling everyone how we'd been forced to obey the Dark Lord. How if any one of us had disobeyed, another one of us would have been killed horribly right before our eyes. I gave Rita Skeeter an interview, and told her how terrible it was, never knowing what was to become of us. It appeared in _The Prophet_ last weekend. It was a true Skeeter masterpiece, very heart-rending. I've received quite a few sympathy notes since it came out."

"Did it cost much?" he asked.

"No, not really. I gave her a small down payment, and then the rest after the article appeared."

"My dear, you are a true Slytherin. That's one of the many reasons why I love you." He leaned over and kissed her.

Narcissa smiled and took his hand. "I have more good news for you. I got a letter from Severus two days ago. He survived! He's alive and well, but he wants everyone to think that he's dead. Except for us, of course. He says he hopes that we'll forgive him for deceiving us, but he thought it would be best for everyone if the Dark Lord was destroyed."

"That's wonderful! Of course we forgive him! He did the right thing. The Dark Lord had gone insane. He'd turned into a monster and he would have killed us all, one by one, whether we were loyal or not. He would have killed Draco, and he nearly killed Severus."

"Severus didn't say where he was. A seagull brought the letter. Can you imagine that? It gobbled up at least six owl treats while I wrote a quick reply, and then it left."

"I'm relieved about Severus. I should have gone back for him," Lucius said. "I feel guilty about that, but I was so worried about Draco at the time that I didn't even think of it until later. Then Potter said he was dead."

"Well, he's not, and we're the only ones who know."


	14. Chapter 14: The Aurors Arrive

**Chapter 14: The Aurors Arrive**

The celebration was in full swing when Captain Clark came into the passengers' lounge. Seabiscuit had brought out the good scotch and brandy, and Severus and Lydia were the only ones showing any restraint. Severus was in the habit of being cautious with alcohol due to his many years as a spy, and Lydia was just being sensible.

"I told Knight Lines that we'd been enchanted by Sirens, but we managed to escape," Clark announced. "I told them we'll need a few days off to recover. They can have Boat Four cover for us."

The ship communicated with Knight Lines via an enchanted scroll. When the captain wrote on it, his words would appear on a sister scroll in their office, and then their reply would appear on his.

"I want you people to get some sleep," he told them. "I don't want to deal with a bunch of hangovers tomorrow."

"Aye, Cap'n! Aargh!" Biscuit said, raising his glass. He was back to playing pirate again.

Realizing that it was hopeless, Clark took Severus aside. "Can you help me set some wards on the ship? I don't think anyone is going to be up to standing watch tonight. We're all exhausted, and on top of that, the rest of them are half drunk now, too. I've anchored us off the Orkney Islands, and we should be safe enough here. And by the way, you've been promoted. You're officially our Security Officer now. I told Knight Lines we couldn't have escaped from the Sirens without you." He winked.

For a moment, 'Slade' almost smiled. "Let's get on with it, then," he said.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus fell asleep with his wand beside his pillow. The hijacking had forcefully reminded him not to let his guard down. It made him think of Moody: "Constant vigilance!" He had disliked the old Auror, but the man had been right about that.

Surprisingly, he had a pleasant dream. He was at Hogwarts, seated in the Headmaster's place at the head table. He looked out across the Great Hall, watching the students eating and talking happily among themselves. He felt very pleased and contented. It was so different from his actual experience as Headmaster. He awoke wishing it had been real.

Fawkes was already awake and Severus opened the porthole so the bird could go for a morning flight. The rest of the crew was still asleep, so he went to the mess and helped himself to coffee and a biscuit. Seabiscuit made much better coffee than the Hogwarts house-elves ever had.

He found several issues of _The Quibbler_ waiting for him on the table. An owl must have brought them while they were ashore trying to rescue Fawkes. Reluctantly, he picked one up and started to read. Kingsley was now Minister of Magic. Minerva was Headmistress at Hogwarts, and repairs were going well. Lucius and Draco Malfoy had been released from Azkaban and were now under house-arrest at Malfoy Manor. He was reading excerpts from Skeeter's interview with Narcissa when Lydia came in to fix herself some tea.

"_Poisonous Plants of Amazonia_? How interesting," she said, glancing at one of the books that he'd brought from the dealer's cottage.

Severus raised an eyebrow and looked up at her. "Would you mind telling me exactly how you convinced Mr Shunpike of the error of his ways?" he asked. He needed to know if they could really trust Shunpike. Yes, the lad had helped them, but it might be prudent to lock him in the cargo hold anyway.

"It wasn't particularly difficult," she told him. "I just waited until the others had left, and then I followed him to the kitchen. He began rummaging in the fridge, probably looking for a cold beer, with his wand stuck in his back pocket. I landed behind him, changed to my human form, and snatched his wand. He hit his head on the fridge shelf and knocked a jug of pineapple juice down his back. I had to cast a cleaning spell on him." She chuckled at the memory.

"Anyway, he told me that he wanted to go somewhere where he could make a new start. He planned to slip away from the others as soon as he could after they left the British Isles, but there hadn't been a chance to do it yet. So I told him that his best bet was to help us, and that after we got the boat back, we'd drop him off wherever he wanted. He was a bit reluctant at first, but he could see the sense of it. You aren't going to turn him in, are you?"

"No, but I don't want him causing any trouble," Severus told her. "I'll have a talk with him."

Captain Clark appeared at the door and interrupted them. "We've got to get the crew up. Knight Lines rejected my request for time off. And guess what they want us to do. We're to go pick up some animals from some Aurors in northern Scotland, and return them to their native habitats." He laughed. "We can drop off you and Jack, too, if you want, Lydia."

"No hurry," she said. "This has been the most interesting vacation we've ever had."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Stan was a bit hung over. He was on his way back from the head when Severus confronted him.

"Please step into the cargo hold for a moment, Mr. Shunpike," he said ominously. "I'd like a word with you in private."

Stan looked alarmed, but he did as he was told. "Please don' turn me in or Obliviate me or nuffink, sir," he said. "I swear I won' make no trouble for you. I just want to start over. I never had no chance. I wasn't smart or nuffink. That's why I wanted to be one of 'em. I wanted people to fink I woz important."

Severus snorted. "You're lucky you didn't get yourself killed."

"I don' know what to do. I weren't no good at school. That's why I quit. There weren't no point in it. You know. I woz in your class."

"Actually, you were good with your hands. You prepared your ingredients well, and your brewing skills were adequate. If you'd paid attention and put some effort into studying, you could have done acceptable work. I told you that. You have to do the work. There are no shortcuts. At least there aren't for most of us."

It still angered him to remember how everything had always been so easy for James Potter. Potter never seemed to study, but the teachers were always praising him. He had it all: a rich family, pure blood, good looks, athletic talent, and all the girls he wanted. Even Lily, in the end. And he never seemed to make any effort. Severus had studied day and night, and nobody really cared. Even Lily, in the end. But his work had paid off. Severus had become a skilled and powerful wizard, while James' complacency had gotten him killed. When the fool had been struck dead, he didn't even have his wand in his hand. It was time to forget James Potter.

"Yeah, some blokes get all the breaks," Stan agreed. "Everyfing always goes right for 'em."

Severus scowled at him. "Perhaps, but _your_ problem is that you believed you couldn't do it, so you never even _tried_. You were defeated by your own attitude. Dropping out of school was stupid. You'll have to get to work now if you want a decent life. It won't happen by itself." He wondered how many times he'd given that advice when he was Head of Slytherin House. He wondered if many students had actually listened.

"I'll try," Stan said quietly. He still had no idea what he was going to do.

"See that you do," Severus told him. "However, we have a more immediate problem at the moment. The boat has been ordered to pick up those animals from the dealer's barn. The place will be swarming with Aurors. I strongly suggest that you stay in the passengers' quarters until we tell you it's safe.

Stan didn't need to be told twice. He vanished down the hall.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus knew that, like Stan, he should probably stay below decks, but he was part of the crew and he intended to help with the work. Simple Glamour spells should be sufficient. After all, the Aurors wouldn't be looking for him. Everyone knew that Severus Snape was dead.

He whitened his teeth and straightened them a bit, but not too much – he didn't want to look like Gilderoy Lockhart, with his perfect, sparkling white teeth. That might attract attention. He lightened his eyes to medium brown, and turned his hair brown, too. It had gotten fairly long and he tied it back. It had been distressingly fluffy lately, probably because of that fruity-smelling muggle shampoo that Kat had given him. It was very un-Snape-like, and under the circumstances, that was good.

The most important thing was to disguise his nose. Most of the younger Aurors would have been his students or his classmates, and they'd be sure to recognize his nose. Flicking his wand, he made it appear as nondescript as possible. He had difficulty disguising the scars on his neck, however. There was still too much residual dark magic in them, so he made sure that his turtleneck sweater covered them, and he was ready to go.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The Aurors had arrived the previous night, not long after the Dark Mark had appeared in the sky. It had caused a major alarm. They were surprised to find that no one was actually dead, although there were five people lying in cages in a barn, snoring loudly.

The Auror in charge, Morris, increased the light from his wand and bent down to take a look at them. "It's three of those Death Eaters that escaped from Azkaban. Maybe the fourth is around here somewhere. I don't recognize the other two. You trainees, see if you can find some sort of lights in this place, and then go get that gorilla and bring it in here. And be careful. We don't know if it's safe here yet. The rest of you, start searching the area. Someone must have put these guys in these cages. I'm going to wake 'em up and try to find out what happened here."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

It was mid-morning and fog was still lying over the area when Severus apparated to shore with Captain Clark and Kat. They proceeded to the cottage where several Aurors were packing up illegal potion ingredients and other evidence.

"Would you look at this stuff?" one of the Aurors asked the others. "Human body parts, and pieces of endangered species! I hope they lock those guys up and throw away the key."

Auror Morris had questioned the prisoners for most of the night and learned absolutely nothing useful. They were either very confused, or very good liars, or both. Eventually he had given up. He came over and introduced himself to Captain Clark. "We have two wyverns, two orangutans, and a panda cub for you. My trainees are preparing them for transport. Come to the barn and I'll show you."

When they entered the barn, the prisoners were no longer there. Auror Morris mentioned that they had been picked up and taken to Azkaban, which was good. Even with the best Obliviation, some shadows of memory always remain, and seeing all of them again so soon might have triggered dangerous feelings of déjà vu.

"We'll need some food for the animals, and some of those empty cages," Clark told Morris. "We can't have these creatures running all over the boat like it's Noah's Ark." Clark's mom had told him the story of Noah's Ark when he was a kid, and it had been one of his favorites.

"No problem," Morris said. "We'll shrink down the food and cages for you. We've put sleeping spells on the animals so you can take them side-along and apparate back to the boat. You'll have to make a couple of trips, though."

Severus hadn't been paying any attention to the trainees, but when they came over levitating the sleeping orangs, he nearly had a heart attack. The trainees were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.


	15. Chapter 15: Pomona's Plan

**Chapter 15: Pomona's Plan**

"I've tried every charm I know, and everything I could find in the library, and the Hat is still spouting gibberish," Filius told them.

"That's what I was afraid of," Minerva said. "We need to make an alternate plan before the students arrive."

"Well, I've been thinking about it, and I've got some ideas," Pomona announced. "This may be for the best. After all, the parents will be upset if we abandon the sorting tradition, and now most of them will also be upset if their children are sorted into Slytherin. However, if the Hat can't sort, that gives us the excuse we need to make some major changes around here."

"Shytherins are _not_ evil," the portrait of Phineas Black shouted. "If Minerva had just stopped to _think_ before she kicked them all out …"

"We know that," Filius said, "but Minerva can't change what she did in the heat of the moment. She made a public apology, but I'm afraid that the stigma will last for a generation or two at least."

"Gryffindors never stop to think! That's the whole problem. They always act rashly. Now if the Ministry still had some of those time-turners …"

"But they _don't_, Phineas," the portrait of Albus Dumbledore said firmly, "so really, we will just have to accept the fact that …"

"Please, gentlemen," Minerva interrupted them. The last thing they needed was another portrait shouting match. They might have to put the blasted things out in the hall again. "Please settle down. We would like to listen to Pomona's ideas now."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Under other circumstances, Severus might have laughed out loud to see Potter and Weasley standing in front of him, dressed as Auror trainees and levitating a pair of sleeping orangutans. He had certainly never seen such looks of deep concentration on their young faces in any class. However, the fear that they might recognize him despite his disguise blinded him to the humor of the scene.

_Stay calm_, he thought to himself. _Appear disinterested, and don't make eye contact._ He had fooled the Dark Lord for many years, so he could certainly fool these two young twits. They made him nervous, though, and he cursed cruel Fate for casting them into his path once again. He also cursed the Dark Lord, Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Aurors, Death Eaters, the whole of wizarding Britain …

Kat stepped forward and took Potter's orang, so Severus stepped forward and took Ron's. They floated the creatures out of the barn and apparated back to the boat with them. _So far, so good_, Severus thought as he renewed the sleeping spell on the two creatures.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"That panda cub looks pretty heavy," Ron said. "It will probably take both of us to levitate him out of that cage."

"Did you notice anything about that guy?" Harry asked.

"What guy?" asked Ron.

"The one with the long hair who took the orang."

"They both had long hair and took orangs," Ron observed.

"The one with the longer hair and the black turtleneck sweater."

"No. Why?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. He just seems familiar, somehow. Take a closer look when we give them the cub."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Don't worry, I'll watch 'em," Seabiscuit said just before Severus and Kat apparated off the deck. He conjured a deckchair beside the sleeping orangs and unrolled a copy of _The Daily Prophet_. He'd taken out a subscription after he figured out the connection between 'Slade' and Professor Snape.

He scanned it for more Snape stories. Some dame named Rita Skeeter was starting to write a book about Snape, and another one named Celestina Warbeck was planning an opera. She couldn't decide whether to call it "Severus and Lily", "The Prince's Tale", or "Lilly Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", but she promised that it would be a tragedy of epic proportions and there wouldn't be a dry eye in wizarding Britain after the final scene.

"I hope Slade never finds out about _that_," Biscuit mused.

Fawkes perched on the railing beside Biscuit and started looking at the pictures.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy looked relieved as they walked out of the Ministry. They had been pardoned for being Death Eaters. The Wizengamot agreed that they had been forced into it, although _The Prophet_ speculated that some hefty bribes to key individuals might have helped them reach that decision.

Argus Filch scowled from a Wanted poster. He was wanted for aiding the Carrows and abusing students, but he and Mrs Norris were nowhere to be found.

A note about the Hogs Head being fined for health violations again was accompanied by a photo of Aberforth feeding his goats.

Hogwarts was advertising for instructors in Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and _The Prophet_ speculated that the latter position was probably still cursed.

In other words, it looked like things were slowly getting back to normal in wizarding Britain.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"You're nuts," said Ron. "He's nothing like Snape. His hair isn't black and greasy, and his nose way too small."

"Those things can be fixed," Harry said. "He's the same build as Snape, and he moves like Snape."

"And Snape's dead, remember? We watched him die. I know it bugs you, but you've done everything you can. You cleared his name and got him that medal. He's even got a chocolate frog card now, too. Come on, let's go get those wyverns.

The wyverns were young, so they were only about the size of full-grown crocodiles. Each one had two stout legs, a pair of leathery wings, a set of sharp teeth and claws, and a long, barbed tail. They snoozed quietly under a strong sleeping spell.

"Ugly brutes, aren't they?" Ron said. "It's a good thing they can't breath fire. Let's take 'em one at a time."

"Maybe he has a brother," Harry said.

"Who? The wyvern? Snape? Are we still on that?"

"I've just got a feeling about him, that's all."

"When you 'get a feeling', it usually means trouble, you know that?" Ron said.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

They floated the unconscious wyvern out belly up, with its wings and tail dragging on the floor and its legs sticking up in the air. Harry kept casting 'furtive' glances at 'Slade' that were not really as inconspicuous as he thought they were.

Kat knew that 'Slade' was worried about being recognized, so he took the lead again.

"Wow! I've never seen one of these before," he said, reaching out curiously to touch the wyvern's scaly leg. Suddenly the beast snorted and kicked in its sleep. Kat tired to jump back but he wasn't fast enough. The claws caught him in the shoulder, tearing deep gashes and knocking him to the floor.

Severus immediately knelt beside Kat and muttered a spell to stop the bleeding. Then he began moving his wand in intricate patterns while singing a healing spell. He was surprised how distressed he felt. It had never occurred to him that he might actually _like_ Kat. Which was not to say that the fellow wasn't irritating; he most certainly was, most of the time. But in fact, Severus realized that he liked the captain and Biscuit, too. Being on the boat was sort of like having friends, not that he had much experience with that sort of thing. He gave Kat a vial of pain-killing potion from a pouch on his belt, and Kat gulped it down like a shot of whiskey.

Clark and Morris rushed over and took the wyvern from Harry and Ron. In their shock, the boys had almost dropped it.

"Slade, take Kat back to the boat. Morris and I will finish here," Clark ordered.

"It's just a scratch," Kat mumbled as Severus levitated him out the door.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Morris didn't blame the trainees for the accident. There was no way they could have known that the beast would thrash in its sleep.

"Finish checking this place for evidence," he told them, "and then we'll go back. It's time to get out of here."

The boys couldn't have agreed more.

"I'm sure it's him now," Harry told Ron after Morris left. "I saw him use that spell before, when he healed Draco. It looked like his wand, too."

Ron looked worried. "You know, maybe we're rushing things too fast, after everything we've been through," he said. "Have you thought about taking some time off? We could go to, I don't know, maybe the Mediterranean. We could lie on a beach, drink some muggle-made wine, watch girls, that sort of thing."

"Did you happen to catch his name?" Harry asked.

Desperately, Ron tried to change the subject. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a large iron cauldron that was sitting near the back door.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"We will need to create four new Houses," Pomona announced. "We should sort the students randomly, and then rotate them between the Houses every year, so that every student will be in each House at least once, and every student will be in a House with every other student at least once."

"That sounds rather sensible," Filius agreed.

"But what about Quidditch?" Minerva interjected. "We can't stop Quidditch!"

"We won't stop Quidditch, "Pomona said. "The students will have to form new teams every year, and learn to work with new teammates. It will be a good experience for them.

"We can name the new Houses after chimeras, to symbolize the mixing," she added.

"Chimeras?" Minerva asked, scratching her head.

Horace looked perplexed. The portrait of Phineas Black guffawed. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore snored.

"Yes," said Pomona. There are lots to choose from: griffons, wyverns, sphinxes, quetzalcoatls …"

"Quetzalcoatls?" said Minerva. What would be next? Snorkacks? "Perhaps we should call them something a bit more, well, bland. To help keep down the House rivalry, of course."

"Maybe we should name them after colors," Filius suggested.

"Yes, but then they should be new colors, like purple and orange," Pomona said happily. "Maybe black and white, too. That would be nice."

"I think we should all give this matter further thought, and meet again tomorrow," Minerva told them. She was starting to get a headache.


	16. Chapter 16: A Visit To Wales

**Chapter 16: A Visit To Wales**

"Is it settled, then?" Minerva asked. "The new Houses will be named North, South, East, and West, and each will be housed in its own tower."

"I still prefer the chimeras," Filius muttered.

"Towers?" said Pomona. "But they're so cold and drafty! Why not underground? It would be so much easier to heat them." She loved Hufflepuff's cozy underground quarters. They had long been her home, and they were conveniently close to the kitchens, in case one wanted a midnight snack. "Some of us aren't that fond of heights, you know," she pouted.

Horace didn't look too happy, either. He knew they would have to close the Slytherin quarters if they wanted to break with the past, but he didn't like it.

"It's a matter of practicality," Minerva told them. "The castle has quite a few towers, some of which aren't being used, and we can have four redone to house the new Houses. We all have to make sacrifices."

"But Gryffindor seems to be making less than some of the rest of us," Horace said coldly.

Minerva sighed. The old House rivalries were not going to evaporate overnight.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"The captain says Kat will be fine. He just needs a day or two to rest and heal," Jack told Lydia.

"I'm so glad," Lydia said. "It seems that Mr Slade has a talent for healing. He's a strange one, that Mr Slade. Very talented, and very troubled."

"And very grouchy," Jack added.

"Yes, that too," Lydia said, laughing.

"I've been thinking about young Stanley," she said. "We've been talking about getting some help at the bookstore. Maybe we should give him a try."

"Ah ha!" said Jack. "You're into your 'helping people' thing again, aren't you?"

"Of course. I have a talent for it, as you well know."

"It's one of the many reasons why I love you, dear," he said, taking her hand. "Of course we can try Stan at the shop when we get home, if you like." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry we didn't get to Rome, dear."

"Rome will still be there next year," Lydia said. "And it won't be nearly as exciting as this was. I can't wait to tell Junior all about it. He'll just flip!"

"That he will," Jack agreed. "Come on, let's go watch them unload the wyverns. We've never been to Wales before, after all."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

It had been a very short hop to the wyvern preserve in North Wales, and the wizard in charge had been delighted to receive the two young creatures.

"They've been mistreated!" he said angrily, "but we'll have them as good as new in no time!"

He turned to one of the still-sleeping beasts and scratched its pointy ear. "Kitchy koo, iddle one," he crooned, "You're going to be very happy here in your new home."

_He's as bad as Hagrid_, Severus thought to himself, which turned his mind to Hogwarts. The summer was getting on now, and the students would be returning soon. He had been there, first as one of them, and later waiting for them, for most of his life. _I ought to be there now_, he thought. Who would protect the children? Minerva would, of course, and that would probably be fine for the present; she was certainly quite capable, but she might want retire in the foreseeable future. Pomona and Filius were both excellent teachers, but they weren't forceful enough to lead the school. Horace wasn't either, and he would likely return to retirement soon, in any event.

Then Severus got a grip on himself. What was he thinking? He did _not_ care. His years at Hogwarts could hardly have been described as 'pleasant', after all. No, he had had more than enough of that place, and he had done more than enough for the students. He had gone out and almost _died_ for them.

But he had gone out to die for _her_, hadn't he? Or to atone for his many sins. Probably all of those things. It wasn't quite so clear to him anymore.

He shook his head and chased the thoughts away. He was Solomon Slade now, Security Officer on Knight Boat Number 6. His previous life was over and done with. And he was glad of it!

He did miss his potions lab, though.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Those hand-things were _creepy_!" Ron said, shuddering at the memory. "And I thought spiders were bad! What the heck made you open that thing, anyway?"

Even with Morris and the others helping, it had taken quite a while to round up all the hands and get them back into the cauldron. Morris had not been amused.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Sometimes my curiosity just gets the better of me, I guess. Usually, it pays off somehow."

"Well, it didn't this time. Like Morris said, an Auror needs to _think_ before acting. We're lucky Morris didn't kick us out of the program. He probably would have, if we weren't so famous. "

Being the Chosen One certainly had its advantages, as well as its disadvantages.

"We're lucky we didn't get strangled," Harry admitted. "I guess I need to be more careful."

"Good plan," Ron said sarcastically.

Neither of them noticed the long-fingered hand clinging to the hem of Harry's robe.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Captain Clark delayed their departure from Wales for as long as he could so Jack and Lydia would have the afternoon to tour the wyvern preserve and visit Portmeirion. Besides which, Biscuit wanted to go buy fresh bananas for the orangutans.

Jack showed off their photographs that evening after supper. There were some good ones of the wyverns being fed sides of beef, and several of the two of them waving from the central plaza in Portmeirion.

"Hey, I know that place!" said Biscuit. "It was in that weird TV show about the spy who refused to be filed, sorted, stamped, indexed or numbered. It was called _The Prisoner_, wasn't it? I saw a few episodes when I was a kid, but I didn't really understand it.

"I know what you mean," Jack said. "When I saw it, I was going through this phase where I was really into muggle culture. I was reading every spy thriller I could get my hands on, and then I started watching the show and became obsessed with trying to figure out whose side the characters were really on. I identified with the main character's struggle for freedom and individuality, but I think the main point at the end was that we are all ultimately imprisoned by ourselves, and until we face that fact, we can never hope to be truly free."

"Yes," said Lydia, "we blame others for categorizing and restricting us, but we categorize ourselves, too, and we become trapped in the roles that we create for ourselves. The self can be our worst enemy. It can keep us from seeing things as they really are, like when we're in denial and that sort of thing, but most of us never even realize it."

Severus looked over at Stan, who was listening quietly and drinking tea. Stan had decided that he was just a stupid nobody, and it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Stan had accepted that role and become trapped in it.

It wasn't until much later that Severus would realize that he might be trapped in some of his own roles, too.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

They dropped off the panda cub next because he was flatulent. His supply of bamboo was starting to go off, despite the preservation spell, and it was giving him gas. They were all getting tired of casting air-freshening charms.

Dr Wong, a dedicated muggle researcher, was entering data into his laptop when the strange-looking boat popped up in the river at the panda preserve and they ran out the gangplank. "Y'all makin' some kinda crazy Hollywood movie?" he asked.

Severus raised an eyebrow and gave Kat a puzzled look.

"We bought our translation spell from some old guy in Nacogdoches," Kat whispered, "and it makes everybody seem to be speaking corny cowboy English. He's really speaking a Chinese dialect, I guess. Merlin only knows what we sound like to him."

Severus looked pained at the thought.

"That's right, Pardner," Clark said via the spell. "We were shootin' a little ol' kung fu Western, and the local constabulary asked us to mosey on over here and drop off this stolen doggie that they recovered."

Dr Wong burst out laughing when he heard that, but he stopped when he saw the cub. "Why, his li'l ears are missin'!" he said. "Them rustlers done _mutilated_ the poor critter! I hope they hang those mangy varmints!"

"They're gonna be in the hoosegow for a long, long time," Clark assured him as the cub farted loudly and headed for the nearest stand of bamboo.

Furtively, Kat cast a spring breeze charm.

"Y'all want ta stay fer tea?" Wong asked them. "The cookhouse is just round the back, and Cookie makes a mean pot o' tea."

"Thanks, Pardner, but we've gotta ride," Clark said. "Y'all take care, now, ya hear?"

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

They were on their way to Sumatra to drop off the orangs when the albatrossss landed on the deck. It kicked up a fuss and wouldn't give up its letter until Biscuit had fed it two tins of sardines.

_Drama queen_, Fawkes snorted, scowling at the big seabird.

"It's for you, Kat," Biscuit announced when he finally managed to retrieve the envelope.

"It's from my sister, Angie," Kat said happily, but his smile evaporated as he read it. "She says she needs help. Angie _never_ admits she needs help. I've gotta go. She needs me."

"Where is she, and what's going on?" Clark asked. He could probably get along without his First Mate for a day or two, but he wasn't keen on the idea.

"Angie's at Southern. She says they were getting the school ready for the students to return, and something attacked a couple of the faculty members. They're comatose now, and the Mediwizards can't revive them. Angie and another Agent were sent to investigate.

"Can't they just call in more Agents?" Clark asked.

"Angie says her partner just quit and took off for New Orleans. The two of them had gone out searching the swamps, and they ran into some sort of ghoul-thing. It nearly got her partner and it scared the daylights out of her. She says she was lucky to escape with her sanity."

Since Kat didn't stop to make disparaging remarks about his sister's sanity, Clark realized that he must be seriously worried about her.

"Kat, your sister is an Agent, a highly trained wizard-cop. If she can't handle this thing, what could you possibly do to help?" Clark asked. "If it's as bad as she says, then they need to send more Agents."

"The Agency told her that they're short-handed, and they can't send anyone else for at least a week," Kat said, holding up the letter. "It's up to her to hold the fort. Potential students and their parents are visiting the school to evaluate it, and Angie is afraid for them and the teachers. Angie and I both went to Southern," Kat added proudly, as if that had anything to do with the matter.

"Okay, then," Clark said unhappily. "We have to drop off the apes and take Jack and Lydia to Melbourne. Then I'll drop you at Southern. I suppose I can get one of those extra numbskulls from Knight Lines to help out while you're gone, if I need to."


	17. Chapter 17: Southern Academy of Magic

**Chapter 17: Southern Academy of Magical Arts**

"Be seeing you," Lydia called, as she headed down the gangplank with Jack and Stan. She was already looking forward to their next trip. Life in Melbourne's wizarding community was going to seem rather ordinary after their recent adventures, but she was looking forward to seeing their son and telling him all about it. It would be nice to get back to their bookstore, too. In addition to a full range of wizarding books, they stocked muggle literature for wizards, plus muggle CDs and DVDs for those few wizards who could figure out how to use them. It was all magically hidden behind a shop where they sold muggle books to muggles.

The orangs had been released in Borneo without incident. They had enjoyed the trip once they got used to the idea of being at sea, and they were overjoyed to get back to their true home in the trees. They attributed their rescue and safe return to Fawkes, whom they believed was a Garuda. They assumed he was in charge of the humans, a notion that the bird did not dispute.

"Next stop, Southern Academy of Magical Arts," Captain Clark announced. He didn't want to leave Kat there alone to face unknown dangers, but Knight Lines was still annoyed about the boat's disappearance during the hijacking. An albatross had brought a Howler from the Manager, Mr Flushwell, who said that he'd personally have the lot of them keel-hauled if they were late for any more pickups. Clark suspected that the mess that the bird had deposited on his deck was no accident.

He called Kat up to the bridge to discuss it. "I want to send Slade along with you," he told his First Mate. "I can probably manage without the two of you for a few days. I'll tell Knight Lines that you two have dragon pox or something, and get a couple of temporaries while you're gone. With Slade to help you, it shouldn't take too long to clear things up."

Kat had to agree. Aside from the fact that he liked Slade, he knew that the caustic grouch was skilled in the dark arts, and he'd feel a lot safer with Slade beside him. He had no idea what might be lurking in the bayous. Normally it was just vampires and zombies. Werewolves avoided the swamps; they didn't like to get their fur wet, or maybe it was just the bugs. But according to his sister, this was something new, something that left its victims apparently unharmed, but in some sort of deep coma. Vampires and zombies don't do that, and neither do werewolves.

Why couldn't his sister be an ordinary Agent, chasing after wizard criminals for misusing their powers? No, she had to join Department X, where they went after the really weird stuff: hauntings, supernatural creatures, eldritch horrors, and that sort of thing. Kat couldn't understand why she did it. And for that matter, he wondered if Slade would do it.

"Do you think he'll go for it?" Kat asked.

"I don't see why not," Clark replied. "A guy like Slade will probably find it interesting. And we wouldn't want him to get bored, now would we?"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus doubted that the matter would prove to be anything serious, but he wanted to be prepared, so he packed an assortment of books, vials of potions and potion supplies in a backpack that Kat had given him, along with his seafaring clothes. He also packed some of the magical and muggle-made tools that they used on the ship. He was particularly fond of the enchanted Swiss Army knife, which he put in his pocket. If only he'd had one of those during the hijacking!

Then he went through his old clothing and found some British muggle money, along with his muggle birth certificate and muggle passport (being a half-blood had its advantages). When he stowed them in a magic pocket, his fingers touched the torn picture of Lily and the scrap of her letter to Sirius.

_Oh, that again._ He'd meant to get rid of them.

He looked at Lily waving happily, and his heart sank. She'd showed him what it felt like to love and be loved, even if it was just childish puppy love that she had later outgrown. After all, he knew full well that it was not him that she was waving at in that photo.

Part of him longed to experience those feelings again, but part of him knew that the price was too high. He could never endure that kind of pain again. It had nearly killed him. He remembered a muggle song from his youth (no matter where you went in the muggle world back then, even at Spinner's End, there was always a radio, and always music). He hummed it:

"_And a rock feels no pain_,

_And an island_

_Never cries._"

_A very sensible song_, he thought, although unfortunately he still felt pain.

He headed for the porthole to dispose of the fragments, but then he stopped and changed his mind. He conjured an envelope and, disguising his handwriting with a spell, he addressed it to Harry Potter, slipped the fragments inside, and sealed it. They rightfully belonged to the brat, after all. Severus knew he had stolen them, although he couldn't remember exactly when. He didn't realize that was because he'd given that memory to Potter.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Minerva awoke on her favorite cushion on top of her dresser, and she yawned widely. She had always preferred to sleep in her Animagus form. Cats sleep so much better than humans do, although their dreams can be a bit strange. The ones where she was hunting prey were fun, even when she couldn't catch anything, but the ones about being chased by people and dogs were not. And then there were the ones about tomcats. She tried not to think about those too much.

She stood up and arched her back for a few moments, and then she stretched each back leg before jumping down to the floor. It was time for her to move, which she had been putting off all summer. Gryffindor Tower had been her home for decades and she hated to leave it, but the tower was going to be converted into classrooms and storerooms as part of the new plan. Professor Vector would take her place as one of the heads of the new houses, and she would be moving into the Headmaster's quarters.

She changed to her human form, washed and dressed, and began the process of packing. She shrank her furniture and it flew into her trunk, along with her other belongings. There were pictures of her family, her favorite tea set, her books, her letters, her clothes, and way too many odds and ends that she'd accumulated over the years. There was really way too much of it, but she was a powerful witch, and she managed to make it all fit in her trunk.

She had already redecorated the Headmaster's office and quarters. There had been reminders of Albus and Severus everywhere, which she had found somewhat distressing. She missed them both, despite their flaws. But maybe she would feel a bit more at home there after she moved her things in.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"What are you doing, dear?" Lucius asked.

"Writing to Severus," Narcissa told him. "I want to make sure he knows that they officially pardoned him for everything when they gave him that medal. He's free to come home if he wants."

"I doubt that he wants to. Especially with Rita Skeeter working on a book about him. Who knows what kind of dirt she'll dig up?"

"Why don't you and Mother give her some stories?" Draco said. He was reading in a chair by the window. "If she doesn't get enough stories, she'll invent them."

"I know a few good tales from when he was young," Lucius said. "It was much easier to get him to talk back then. A few glasses of scotch would usually do the trick. As he got older, you couldn't get anything out of him no matter what you did, which was understandable in hindsight."

"I doubt that it will satisfy her," Narcissa said.

"They don't have to be true," Draco pointed out. "She can invent stories, or we can. It might as well be us."

Lucius thought for a moment. "Hmm," he said, "the idea does have some merit. We could repay part of our debt to Severus with hardly any financial outlay at all. And it could be quite entertaining. Yes, let's plan some stories and invite her over for drinks. She won't refuse the chance for a private interview with us. Or the chance for drinks, for that matter. Perhaps I'll tell her about the time that the Dark Lord sent young Severus to steal that cursed amulet."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The Southern Academy of Magical Arts sat on a large patch of dry ground in the midst of the swamps. It looked like a large Greek Revival-style plantation house, with its white colonnade and broad, covered porches.

Fawkes flew ahead as Kat and Severus walked up the oak-lined path from the dock. Sunlight filtered through the thick clumps of Spanish moss that hung above them, and Kat waved his wand lazily to keep the bugs away.

"One thing you've got to have here at Southern is a really good bug-repelling charm," Kat said. "We have charms that attract 'em, too. They help keep the muggles away. This area has the densest population of bugs on the Gulf Coast, and the greatest diversity, too. We get a few lost fishermen coming through here occasionally, and once we had some bird-watchers searching for rare woodpeckers, but usually the muggles stay away."

They needed some cooling and anti-humidity charms, too, Severus thought. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead already.

"We just tripped an alarm ward," Severus whispered as they approached the ornate wrought-iron gate. "I felt it."

The gate swung open and they continued across the wide courtyard toward the building. Then the front doors opened and a slim, dark-haired woman came out with her wand in her hand. She had on a dark green uniform and Severus thought it made her look like a muggle forest ranger, not that he'd ever actually seen one of those. _This must be Angie_, he thought. A large, bald-headed man followed her, scowling. There was no telling who he was.

"Kat!" she cried when she recognized him. She ran out and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you came! I see you brought extra help, too," she said, eyeing Severus.

"This is my friend, Solomon Slade," Kat told her. "He's the Security Officer on our boat. Slade, this is my sister, Angie. And this is Fawkes," he said as the phoenix landed on the porch railing.

"Why, he's _beautiful_!" Angie said, and she could have sworn the bird winked at her. "It was good of you to come, Mr Slade. This is Mr Armstrong," she said, indicating the bald man. "He's the Magical Martial Arts instructor here. Come on inside, all of you, and I'll show you around."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Since it was a magical structure, Severus knew the plantation house would be much larger on the inside than it looked from the outside, and indeed it was. It was much cooler inside, too, fortunately. They entered into a large chamber with white marble floors and walls. Two faculty members were waiting under an elaborate crystal chandelier. Both of them had their wands in their hands and worried looks on their faces. Even the portraits lining the walls looked worried.

Fawkes swooped in and perched on a suit of armor on the far side of the room. _Nice place_, he thought, looking around. _I wonder why we're here? Are these new friends? And where's the kitchen? Maybe they have some goodies._

Angie introduced Mr Cohen, the principal, and Ms Applewood, the Herbology teacher. "Welcome, and thank you for coming," Mr Cohen said. He shook hands with each of them. His palm was wet with nervous sweat, but his handshake was firm and his voice was steady. "We really are at a loss as to how to handle this, and we're glad for your help. We've never seen anything like this here before."

Ms Applewood smiled nervously at them. She was a tall, graceful woman with long brown hair. Mr Armstrong kept glancing toward the door as if he expected an attack at any moment.

"What can you tell us about this thing?" Kat asked.

"Not much," Angie said. "Aside from the victims, no one has actually seen it, and the victims were comatose and couldn't tell us anything. I think my partner and I got close to it one night, but then, well, I'm not sure what happened. I think I passed out." She looked embarrassed. "When I woke up my partner was scared out of his wits. He jumped on his broom and fled. He didn't even return to the school for his things. Headquarters said he sent an owl with his resignation."

"Where are the victims now?" Severus asked.

"They were in the hospital in New Orleans. The Mediwizards there tried everything they could think of, but after a few days, they died."

"Not good," said Kat. "Were they people we knew?"

"I'm afraid so," Angie said sadly. "Mr Greenly, the Charms teacher, was the first. He also taught Magical Painting, and he went out to paint by the lake at sunset, as he often did. When he didn't come back after dark, they searched and found him lying beside his easel. At first they thought he was dead; he was so still and cold, just like a corpse. Then they realized that he was still breathing slowly, but they couldn't revive him, and neither could the Mediwizards in New Orleans.

"Everyone thought it was some sort of freak accident, but when the same thing happened to Mr French, the Magical Languages teacher, they realized there must be something evil lurking out there, and they called us. Mr French liked to go for early morning walks and watch the sun rise. They found him by the river."

"Mr Greenly and Mr French?" Kat said. "I took classes from both of them. I liked them."

"Me, too," said Angie.

"Angie, why don't you show our guests to their rooms," Mr Cohen said. "They can get settled and then join us for dinner. We can discuss this later."

"Sure," Angie said sadly. "Two nice rooms are empty now." Severus and Kat didn't have to ask why.


	18. Chapter 18: A Night In The Swamp

**Chapter 18: A Night in the Swamp**

Severus put his pack in his room and transfigured a perch for Fawkes. The room must have belonged to the artist, Mr Greenly. The walls were covered with paintings of beautiful landscapes and ocean scenes. Fawkes liked the brightly colored birds that flitted in and out of the pictures and he watched them happily from his new perch.

After washing up, Severus followed Kat to the dining hall. Like the entryway, the hall had white marble walls and floors. Decorative columns supported the ceiling, which featured a large domed skylight. French windows flanked by potted palms at the far end of the hall let in the glow of the late afternoon sun. It was very bright and cheerful, and made the Great Hall at Hogwarts seem rather medieval by comparison.

Only a few of the tables were set, and Mr Cohen waved them over to one. "Come join us," he called. "I want to introduce you to more of our staff members.

"You've already met Vic Armstrong and Ms Applewood, of course. This is Ms Canto, who teaches Transfiguration, and Magical Music," he said, gesturing toward a large, middle-aged woman to the right of Ms Applewood. She smiled and nodded to them. "Mr Griffin teaches Magical Theory, and is in charge of the Magical Creatures Club." He indicated an elderly gentleman on the far side of the table. "The young lady who's coming in right now is Ms Larose, our Divination teacher."

Severus looked up to see a tall woman striding in, her burgundy robes flowing around her as she walked. A matching burgundy turban and large golden earrings framed her smiling bronze face, and her brown eyes glowed with warmth. The sight of the turban brought back some very unpleasant memories – if only he'd known then! – but he forced those thoughts from his mind. It looked like there was something much, much nicer under this turban. _She knows how to make an entrance_, he thought to himself. Sybil Trelawney had never looked half so good. He found it difficult to take his eyes off of her.

"She's new here," Kat whispered. He was having trouble taking his eyes off her, too.

Severus forced himself to look away and turned to Mr Cohen. "When will the students be arriving?" he asked.

"There have been a few early arrivals, mostly children from difficult home situations, they're over there at that table," he said, gesturing toward a small group of children, "and there are some new students who have come early for orientation, but the majority won't return for a few days yet."

He waved his wand and platters of food appeared on the tables. The main course was catfish, which the house-elves had prepared in Kat's honor. Severus thought it was really very good, despite being a bit spicier than he was used to.

"We should go out as soon as it gets dark," Angie said. "The sooner we find this thing, the better."

"I'll go with you," Armstrong said. "It's my school, and I'm the Martial Arts instructor. It's my duty."

"That's good of you, Vic," Mr Cohen said. "None of us will rest easy until this threat is gone."

Then he waved his wand again and the desserts appeared. There was pecan pie, and Severus saved his slice for Fawkes.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

They set out after dark. Clouds, trees, and Spanish moss blocked what little light there was, and they had to cast _Lumos_ to see where they were going. Even with the light from their wands, they could only see a few yards in any direction, and the tree trunks and bushes cast confusing shadows everywhere. Flying was out of the question. They would have to walk.

"Where do you think we should start looking?" Kat asked as they started down one of the trails through the swamp.

"I wish I knew," she said. "The thing seems to strike near water, but of course there's water everywhere around here, so that probably doesn't mean anything. I think we should just keep walking and see if it comes after us."

That plan didn't seem particularly brilliant to Severus, but he didn't have a better idea so he stifled his natural impulse to say something sarcastic. He could hear the whiney hum of mosquitoes and the chirping of frogs and crickets. Once he heard a splash nearby, maybe from a bullfrog plunging into a pool, or a fish jumping. Or possibly something more sinister. He was in unfamiliar territory. Were there grindylows here, or merpeople? Kappas or hinkypunks? He had no idea. He cursed himself for not reading up on the area after Captain Clark talked to him about going along, but there had been too little time.

They stopped when they came to an open area beside a large lake, where they could see the stars shining through gaps in the clouds.

"Perhaps the thing is staying away because there are too many of us," Severus said. "Perhaps I should go ahead, and the rest of you can follow behind to help me if it attacks." He didn't want to be bait, but it might be the quickest way to get this over with, and he wouldn't ask anyone else to do it.

"No, it's my job, and I should go first," Angie said firmly.

They all objected to that, and after much arguing they decided that they would take turns. Armstrong took the first shift. Severus was pleased to see that the big man could move silently and gracefully despite his size.

There were disadvantages to being in the following group, however, as Severus soon learned. To conceal their presence, they weren't casting _Lumos_, so it was impossible to avoid tripping over roots and stepping in muck in the darkness. He had to cast _Muffliato_ to cover the noise.

"The next time we stop, we've got to tell that man to _slow down_," he hissed to Kat as he watched Armstrong's light dancing ahead of them.

Kat nodded his agreement as he splashed through an unseen puddle.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

On her way down the staircase Minerva nodded to the portrait of the late Headmistress Heliotrope Wilkins, and the portrait smiled back at her. Minerva paused. It was rather late in the evening and it appeared that no one was around.

She approached the portrait and cast _Muffliato_. It was such a useful spell.

"Heliotrope," she said, "I'd like to know a bit more about portraits. Perhaps you can help me."

"I hope so, Headmistress," the portrait replied. "Our purpose here is to help you in any way that we can."

"How was your portrait created?"

"I had several painted just before I retired. When I died several decades later, they received the imprint of my soul, and my family brought one of them here to hang at Hogwarts."

"I see," Minerva said. "Did the portrait in the Headmaster's office appear by magic?"

"Yes it did, a few days after my death. It gives me an additional frame to inhabit," she said happily.

"Do you think a portrait of Dolores Umbridge will appear there after she dies?" Minerva asked. "She was appointed Headmistress after Albus fled."

"Oh, I doubt it," Heliotrope replied. "The castle never accepted her as a true Headmistress. It never cooperated with her, and we portraits didn't either. The castle is somewhat sentient, as you know, and it has magic of its own. It must have felt that Albus Dumbledore was still Headmaster then, despite the fact that he was not present."

"I've been wondering why a portrait of Headmaster Snape didn't appear after he died," Minerva said. "Did the castle not accept him?"

"Oh, no, the castle accepted him, and we all tried to help him, as is our duty, especially Albus and Phineas. Phineas was well positioned to transfer information to and from Ms Granger, as you know, and he's very proud of the role that he played."

"Yes, so I've noticed," Minerva said dryly. "But then why was there no portrait for Headmaster Snape?"

"Well, Phineas claims that Headmaster Snape was so angry about the way that Headmaster Dumbledore left him to face a horrible death that he refused to allow his soul leave an imprint. Most of us disagree, however. While Headmaster Snape was certainly a very strong-willed man, I'm sure that during the snake's attack, preventing soul imprints for portraits would have been the farthest thing from his mind.

"On the other hand, Dilys Derwent thinks it's because Headmaster Snape abandoned his post, but he didn't really. He kept right on working to protect the school and bring Voldemort down, even though he had left the castle, much like Headmaster Dumbledore did while he was gone."

"I'd agree that Phineas' theory does seem a bit far-fetched," Minerva said, "and Dilys' theory is weak, too, but that leaves the questions unanswered. Why didn't a portrait appear, and why hasn't the portrait that hangs there now become animated?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Heliotrope said, smiling.

"Yes, I think I do," Minerva said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Headmistress. We are here to help you."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Mr Cohen and the others were waiting anxiously for them when they returned from the swamp at daybreak. "We've got breakfast ready for you," he told them.

"We need to get cleaned up and showered first," Armstrong said as he cast Scourgify on himself. They were dripping sweat and muddy water in the entryway, and they looked like the proverbial drowned rats.

Severus went to his room and peeled off his wet clothes. He was about to get into the shower when Fawkes shrieked and he saw the poopy-brown, worm-like thing attached to his calf. He'd never seen a live one before, but he knew what it was: a smeech! It was surrounded by a magenta glow, which meant it was already feeding on his magic. When he tried to lift it off, he felt a sharp pain and he realized the thing had started to burrow under his skin.

Grimacing in disgust, Severus wrapped himself in a towel and headed for Kat's room.

"Yeah, it's a smeech, all right," Kat said, poking it gently. "They're not usually too active this late in the summer."

"Maybe you should explain that to the smeech," Severus grumbled. "What's the best way to get rid of it?"

"You have to curse them off, and you have to be quick about it. If they realize what you're up to, they'll inject you with poison."

"How nice," Severus said dryly. "What curse do you recommend?"

"I'll show you," Kat said.

Before Severus could stop him, Kat whipped out his wand and cried "_Hirudo nomoe_!"

He felt a flash of pain as the smeech was ripped free, and then it flew across the room, smashing into the wall beside the window. It stuck there for a moment, and then its magenta glow faded away and it fell to the floor.

"Ha! Got him!" Kat said triumphantly.

Severus cast a healing charm on the small hole that it left in his leg, and he walked over and picked up the smeech by its tail end. It was a disgusting thing, but perhaps he could use it in a potion some day. It has absorbed a bit of his magic, after all. He conjured a vial and dropped it in.

"I'll see if I can get us some smeech repellant before we go out again," Kat said.

Severus scowled. He was starting to think that facing down the monster might not be the worst part of this job.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry didn't really like staying at Grimmauld Place, but he wanted privacy sometimes and the Black family magic still kept the old house secure. He'd finally managed to get Mrs Black's portrait moved to the cellar, with a bit of help from Bill Weasley and a team of curse-breakers from Gringotts. The doxies were all gone now, of course, but lately he could hear something scampering around at night, and last night something had run across him while he was half asleep. Maybe it was a rat. An ordinary rat, not an Animagus rat, he hoped. He'd have to set a trap for it.

He was drinking tea and reading _Quidditch Today_ when the seagull brought the note with the picture of his mom and the fragment of her letter. Even though the handwriting was unfamiliar, he quickly realized that Snape must have sent them. After all, he'd seen Snape steal them in the memories he'd watched after Snape had died. Except that he must not have died! Harry's hunch had been right: Snape was still alive!

He had mixed feelings about that. Throughout his years at Hogwarts, he'd hated Snape. Snape had always been so rotten to him and his friends. Sure, he'd been a bit cheeky in class, maybe, and a lot of the time he and Ron hadn't paid much attention or put much effort into their assignments, but still, the git didn't have to be so nasty about it.

He'd thought Snape was trying to kill him during his first year, trying to curse him off his broom during the Quidditch match, and trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. He'd been wrong about that, though. Snape had been trying to protect him, and had actually saved his life. Dumbledore said Snape had only done it because he owed Harry's father a debt, so Harry had never bothered to thank him, but maybe he should have. Maybe things could have been different between them if he had.

Of course Harry knew that Snape had only done it all as penance for betraying his mom, and because he hated Voldemort even more than he hated Harry and Harry's dad. And Harry had hated him right back, too. But now he thought about how much Snape had loved his mom, and how he'd sort of gotten to know Snape from the Prince's potions textbook, and from the memories.

Harry didn't want to think about the way he'd watched Snape die without lifting a finger to help him. He always tried to help everyone, even Wormtail. And Draco. Everyone except Snape, that is. Snape, who'd worked so hard to protect him, despite the fact that it was a thankless task. Snape, who'd risked death countless times, spying on Voldemort for longer than Harry had been alive. Snape was the bravest man that Harry had ever known, and Harry had just stood there and watched him die. The sense of shame tied a knot in his stomach.

But Snape wasn't dead, and now he had sent these treasured keepsakes. Was it some sort of conciliatory gesture? Harry had to know.

He remembered the man from the Knight Boat, the one he and Ron had seen taking the creatures away from that barn in Scotland. His instincts had been right! That guy must have been Snape in disguise!

He tucked the envelope in his pocket, grabbed a jacket and his wallet, and caught a muggle bus to the river. He wandered along until he found a spot behind some warehouses where there was no one around to see him, and he held out his wand. A Knight Boat soon appeared.

Harry was well on his way to Norway before he figured out that it was the wrong Knight Boat.


	19. Chapter 19: The Muggle Mobile

**Chapter 19: The Muggle Mobile**

**Warning:** Parts of this chapter were inspired by JKR's 'prequel'. Don't worry though; this is a lot different.

When they awoke and went downstairs the next afternoon, Mr Cohen informed them all that the school didn't have any smeech repellent on hand. "Ms Brewster, the potions teacher, can make some up, but it will take a couple of days. If you want some for tonight, one of you will have to go into the city and buy it. The teachers and I have to remain here because the students are returning today and we have to protect them."

Kat volunteered to go, and Severus, who was always interested in visiting potions shops and apothecaries, was eager to accompany him. There would probably be all sorts of exotic things available in a place like New Orleans. His dark eyes glittered with anticipation.

They chose a pair of brooms from a storeroom, and as they prepared to depart, Mr Cohen tossed Kat a set of keys. "Take the Muggle Mobile when you get over there. Remember, we're not supposed to fly in the city. And try not to cause any major incidents this time, please," he said, winking at Kat.

"Who, me?" Kat said, beaming. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

_Perhaps this is a mistake_, Severus thought, but his curiosity got the better of him.

They cast disillusionment and cooling spells on themselves and flew off across the swamps. The trees below formed a soft sea of green, broken here and there by sparkling blue rivers and bayous. Eventually they came to the Mississippi River itself, a huge expanse of water carrying a parade of ships and fishing boats. They followed it toward the city until Kat pointed down and started to descend.

They landed at a rundown dock in a secluded backwater. A faded sign on a tin-roofed shack said '_Doctor Proctor's Boat Works_'. A white-haired black man sat on the porch reading a newspaper in the shade. He looked like he was at least two hundred years old. So did the dog lying by his feet. The dog opened one eye, thumped its tail twice, and went back to sleep.

"Long time, no see, Kat," the man drawled. "How's the captain doin'?"

"Just fine, Doc," Kat replied.

"Well, tell 'im to stop by one of these days, 'fore I ferget what he looks like," the man said. Then he went back to his reading.

"Will do," Kat said. He motioned to Severus to follow him and walked over to a chain-link fence surrounding a large weed-choked lot. He unlocked the gate and led the way through the tall weeds, rusting cars and wrecked boats to something covered by a large tarp. He levitated the tarp away to reveal a faded brown Buick station wagon underneath.

"Meet the Muggle Mobile," he said, opening the tailgate of the elderly vehicle and tossing his broom in.

Severus added his broom and got in on the passenger's side. He'd learned to drive one summer at Spinner's End, in an old Volkswagen that his dad had owned briefly, but that was long ago. It had been more than a decade since he'd set foot in a car.

"Better do up the seatbelt," Kat reminded him as he checked the gas gauge.

The Buick started easily and Kat drove down a rutted, unpaved trail through the woods. It led to a bumpy gravel road that led to a two-lane blacktop. Severus watched the forests, swamps and fields go by. There was almost no traffic, and he managed to enjoy the ride until they came to a large green sign announcing the on-ramp for the Interstate Highway.

"We should stay on the back roads," Severus said firmly, but it was too late. Kat had stomped on the accelerator pedal and the Buick shifted into its passing gear and roared up the ramp.

Severus gritted his teeth as Kat merged into the stream of traffic. They were on the wrong side of the road! Well, it was the right side for an America highway, he knew _that_, but they drive on the left-hand side in the UK and it just felt _so wrong_. Gripping his wand tightly, he braced his right hand against the dashboard and hooked his left arm over the back of the seat. This car was a muggle car. There was nothing except the traction of four rubber tires to keep it on the road. That, and Kat's skill. They were doomed!

Kat cut to the left and flew past a big white boxy vehicle with a bicycle hanging on the back. An urchin waved from the side window. Severus was starting to feel car-sick. If he Apparated from the car now, would he still be moving at the same speed when he landed at his destination? If so, he'd probably be killed. He'd better not try it unless a crash was imminent. That could be soon, though.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Fawkes was bored. His wizard had slept until early afternoon and then flown off on a broom. Well, he might as well explore the school a bit. The new term was about to start and the students were returning. Albus had always discouraged him from fraternizing with students, but this wasn't Hogwarts and Albus wasn't here, so why not? He flew out the window.

Circling above the courtyard, Fawkes saw two girls sitting by the fountain, watching a big spider. Both had totally tasteless plumage, one in very loud shades of green and the other in bright purple, magenta and black. Even Albus wouldn't have sported those colors! Not in those combinations, anyway. And they were wearing makeup, too; dark purple lipstick and heavy black eyeliner. What was the matter with fledglings these days, anyway? He landed beside them.

"Ack! Don't you dare eat Alvin!" the one in green said, scooping up the tarantula.

Fawkes puffed out his neck feathers and scowled at them. What did they take him for? An _insectivore_?! Really!

"Look, you've hurt his feelings," the purple one said. She turned to Fawkes. "Nice birdie," she said, and offered him an orange, finger-like thing. He sniffed it. It was some kind of processed cheese snack. Yuk! It was almost as disgusting as the tarantula. No wonder Albus had encouraged him to avoid students!

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Oh, I'll turn up the AC," Kat said, noticing the sweat on his companion's brow. By some miracle, they had survived. Kat had managed to get off the Interstate without harming anything except Severus' nerves.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Severus snapped.

They drove through an abandoned-looking industrial district and Kat pulled up in front of a nondescript warehouse. He waved his wand out the window, the rusty garage door opened to admit them, and they drove in. As expected, the place was larger on the inside than it looked from the outside. It housed a number of strange-looking vehicles including an odd carriage, as well as a few ordinary cars and an old Ford pickup.

"We can park here," Kat announced as the door closed behind them. "Rue Magique is through the back."

And indeed it was. Kat opened the back door to reveal a narrow street flanked by ancient buildings done in the French Creole style. It was bustling with witches and wizards in all manner of colorful robes. Lively music floated down from open windows, and people lounged on high, covered porches with ornate wrought-iron railings.

"This place is quite a crossroads," Kat said, leading the way through the crowd. They passed two tall African wizards wearing feathered cloaks, and a shaman in a faded serape. A group of witches was chatting in an incomprehensible French dialect, and an old woman was selling candles and gris-gris from a makeshift stall. A few of the men standing around on one corner looked like old-time Caribbean pirates, which maybe they were.

It wasn't far to their goal: _Antoine's Apothecary, Purveyor of Fine Potions and Supplies_, the sign said. Severus opened the door and breathed deeply, savoring the exotic smells. They were perfume to him. How he missed potion-making! He longed to brew again.

While Kat waited in line at the counter, Severus headed down the nearest aisle, inspecting the wares. The first section was devoted to minerals. There were jars of moonstone, sardonyx, bloodstone and orpiment. A hand-written sign said to ask at the counter for precious metals and rare earths. Then he came to the dried herbs: stinging nettles, henbane, poison ivy and carnivorous plants; the material looked superb. Severus was running his fingers lovingly through a bin of datura pods when Kat interrupted him. He hadn't even come to the pickled items yet.

"I've got it," Kat said. Come on, it's getting late. Angie and Vic will be waiting. We've got to get that monster before it gets anyone else."

Severus looked back wistfully at a large display of cauldrons and then allowed himself to be dragged away.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I'll just take my broom and fly back," Severus had said when they left Rue Magique. "I want to get some air." _There, who says I can't be diplomatic?_ he thought smugly.

"We're not supposed to do that," Kat complained. "It's against the rules. Muggles might see us, even though they usually don't believe it when they do. That's why the school has the Muggle Mobile. And I drive really well. I even have a licence. Most American witches and wizards drive a lot. We're not isolationists like you Brits, you know," he added.

"Let me put it this way," Severus said, letting his diplomacy slip a notch. "Either we stay off that Interstate on the way back, or I fly."

"The back roads will take too long," Kat argued. "We have to get back to searching the swamps. It'll be dark soon."

"I'll get my broom," Severus threatened.

Thus it came to pass that the two of them were driving along an old blacktop on the outskirts of the city when darkness fell. "We have to fill her up before we drop her off," Kat said, turning into a brightly lit but seedy-looking plaza. He parked by a gas pump. "Come on, we've got to pay inside first."

Kat had turned off the motor and was about to get out when they heard shouting and swearing. They looked across the plaza and saw three young men trying to force a fourth into the trunk of a black coupe.

"Drug gangs! I hate those guys!" Kat said and leaped out of the car. Severus threw his door open and tried to do likewise but he'd forgotten to release his seatbelt. He swore.

"_Reducto_!" Kat shouted, aiming for one of their tires, but he was too far away and his curse failed. The kidnappers slammed the trunk shut with their victim inside.

Kat tried again, "_Impedimenta_!" but again his spell was ineffective. The kidnappers jumped into the coupe, the tires screeched, and they roared off down the road.

Swearing, Kat got back into the Muggle Mobile, started it, and took off in pursuit. Severus, who had finally managed to get his seatbelt unfastened, promptly fastened it again. "This is a muggle matter," he said angrily. "We should leave it to them."

"If we do, that guy in the trunk will be gator chow before morning," Kat stated. He was determined to play the hero.

_What a stupid bloody Gryffindor wannabe!_ Severus thought, fuming. _We should have taken the Interstate._

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Officers Hernandez and Marzello were pulled over behind some bushes when the coupe flew by. They were feeling sorry for themselves. Patrolling the back roads was pretty boring. They might catch a speeder or two, at best. Really, they ought to be in the heart of the city where the real action was, but this year they were assigned to the outskirts.

"What was that?" Hernandez asked. "Some kind of black coupe?"

Then the Muggle Mobile roared past.

"Being chased by two bozos in a Buick, it would appear," Marzello observed.

"Here, hold my coffee," Hernandez said as he hit the lights and pulled out.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Oops! Muggle cops!" Kat said when he heard the siren whooping. He glanced in the mirror and saw the flashing red and blue lights in the distance behind them.

"Lovely," Severus said dryly.

On top of that, the coupe was getting farther and farther ahead of them. The Buick didn't handle nearly as well on curves and corners. Kat increased their speed anyway, and Severus could feel his heart rate increase along with it.

Suddenly the coupe's brake lights flashed and it made a sharp right-hand turn across a narrow bridge.

"This calls for desperate measures!" Kat cried. "Hang on! Sometimes this doesn't work too well."

Severus cringed in anticipation.

Kat reached down and punched what looked like a cigarette lighter. The Buick started to tremble, and then it rose straight up into the air, nose first, like a hooked sailfish. It continued to accelerate until Kat hauled on the wheel and the vehicle flopped over in its side in the air. Then it started to fall earthward like a homesick refrigerator.

Severus' stomach tried to escape through his throat. _I'll have to Apparate before we hit the ground!_ he thought desperately. Perhaps if he Apparated into the air beside the Buick, he could start flying and save himself. But what about Kat? He could take Kat side-along, but could he fly with a second person? Why, oh why, hadn't they just stayed at the school and put up with the smeeches?

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I didn't know you could do that in a Buick," Officer Hernandez said calmly as the Muggle Mobile soared into the air in front of them.

"Me neither," said Officer Marzello. "Must be one of those UFO's again. Clever of them, disguising themselves as a Buick this time."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus didn't have to Apparate. Kat drew his wand, muttered some sort of spell, and smacked the dashboard three times. Then he kicked a switch on the floor and turned the wheel sharply. Miraculously, the Buick righted itself, stabilized, and went into a smooth glide.

They sailed across the creek and followed the road until they caught up with the coupe. Kat brought them down smoothly, landing right behind the kidnappers. The sudden appearance of the Buick must have startled the driver because he accelerated so fast he lost control when he hit a deep pothole. The coupe bounced and skidded into the ditch where it came to a stop in the mud.

The Buick halted on the road beside the coupe, still floating about six inches above the asphalt.

"You didn't tell me this thing was capable of flight," Severus complained. Kat's flying had unnerved him even more than Kat's driving.

"We're only supposed to do it in emergencies," Kat said. "The flying enchantment doesn't always work very well."

"I noticed," Severus said as he cast _Impedimenta_ out the window and brought down a fleeing kidnapper. He used _Tarantallegra_ on the other two, just for the fun of it, and popped the trunk with _Alohomora_.

A young teenager climbed out. "I don't wanna go ta yer stinkin' school, ya stinkin' jerks," he snarled. "It's not my fault my stupid parents moved here."

"We have ta haze ya," one of the kidnappers said as he struggled to bring his flailing legs under control. "It's traditional!"

"My dad's gonna kill me," another moaned. "He's gonna kill me. He'll never let me use the car again!"

It was a high school hazing? Severus rolled his eyes. Bullies weren't limited to Spinner's End and Hogwarts. It was probably good that they'd broken it up, although he still wished that they hadn't left the school.

"We'd better go," Kat said, hitting the gas as the cop car pulled up behind them.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The victim watched angrily as Marzello herded the three confused kidnappers into the back of the cruiser. Severus had released his spells as the Buick fled the scene.

"I'm gettin' kind of tired of those UFO's," Hernandez said as the Buick's taillights disappeared into the night sky.

"Yeah, me too," Marzello said.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I suppose y'all didn't gas her up," Proctor said as they pulled up in front of the shack. The lights were on inside and they could hear a radio playing.

"Well, no, actually we didn't have time," Kat said sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"Doesn't surprise me," the old man said. "Should I be expectin' th' po-leece?"

Kat grinned. "No, we lost 'em."

"Well, I'll put the coffee on, just in case, and I'll take care of the car. You boys run along back to the school now, 'fore ya cause any more trouble. Yer supposed to be protectin' th' kids."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

After Kat and Severus had departed, the old man levitated the Buick back into the storage yard, and with a flick of his wand he replaced its tarp and made it vanish from sight. He was one of the most powerful wizards in North America, though only a few people knew it.

"I don't know about young people today," he said to the dog. "Come on, let's go back and get ready for the nice officers. I do enjoy their visits. Hope I don't have to Obliviate 'em this time."

The dog woofed and wagged his tail happily.


	20. Chapter 20: Breakfast at Southern

**Chapter 20: Breakfast at Southern**

"So where have you been?" Ron asked when Harry arrived for Auror training on Monday morning. "You missed our study session with Hermione on Saturday."

"At Grimmauld Place," Harry said. "I thought I'd study at home."

"No, I stopped by a couple of times and you weren't in," Ron said, putting Harry on the spot. "What have you been up to?" Ron winked. "Come on, you can tell me."

Harry shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Well, actually, I was in Oslo."

Ron waited, but no details were forthcoming. He thought for a moment. What was Harry hiding? Finally he asked, "Why? Quidditch season hasn't started yet."

"I was feeling a bit cooped up, and I just wanted to go somewhere, that's all," Harry said, as if he went travelling all the time, when in fact it was the first time that he'd ever been outside of the UK. "I wandered around a bit, had lunch, and then I came back. It was nice there." There was no way that Harry was going to admit that he'd been searching for Professor Snape on a Knight Boat when he'd been whisked off to Norway. Ron would think he'd gone crazy. And maybe he had.

Ron looked worried. "Did you have to eat anything weird, like lutefisk?"

That made Harry laugh. "No, I had a hamburger! Don't worry about it."

But Ron did worry about it. Why was his friend being evasive? _He's cheating on Ginny! That's got to be it. I better follow him next time._

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

After several more all-night searches, Severus and the group had still found no sign of whatever it was that had killed twice at Southern Academy. All he had was a theory, with no real evidence to back it up. There had been two comatose victims without a mark on them, both of whom had later died without regaining consciousness, and Angie had told him that the nearby vegetation seemed to be sick and damaged. It wasn't much to go on.

The lack of progress was frustrating, but working all night and sleeping in the morning agreed with him, and Severus had slept soundly. He was still haunted by nightmares at times, but this morning he had dreamed he was Headmaster again. He was dining at the head table with Albus, Minerva, and Merlin. They were discussing how Ms Larose had joined the staff to teach Divination, and interest in the subject had skyrocketed, especially among the older boys. He smiled in his sleep.

When he awoke and went downstairs, he spotted Fawkes in the students' lounge. The phoenix was perched on the back of a couch behind two garishly dressed girls. They had set up some sort of muggle device, and Fawkes was watching a muggle movie with them. On the screen, flocks of birds were attacking muggles for no apparent reason, and the muggles were fleeing in terror. Fawkes seemed fascinated. His golden eyes were glued to the little screen.

Severus wandered up behind them and asked, in a rather menacing tone, "What are you doing with my bird?"

The girls were unperturbed. "We're watching _The Birds_ with him," the one dressed in purple and black announced. Her black socks featured wide red stripes that clashed with her purple shoes. "I think this is the first time he's seen it."

"Is he a phoenix?" the other one piped up. "What's his name?" She was wearing shades of green that did not look good together, and she had bottle caps and other odd bits of metal charmed into her teased-up beehive hair.

"He's a phoenix," Severus said, "and his name is Fawkes." _Don't they have a dress code at this school_? he wondered.

"Mine is Mysteria," the one in green volunteered, although Severus certainly hadn't asked.

"And I'm Lady Darkness, Queen of the Night," said the purple-and-black one. "Who are you?"

Severus scowled. If those were their real names, he was Santa Claus.

Ignoring her question, he asked, "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Nope," said the green one. "It's our lunch break."

These two girls made even the strangest Hogwarts student seem normal. Severus left them to watch their movie and went off in search of coffee and breakfast.

Entering the dining hall, he spotted Armstrong at one of the tables. "Come join me, Slade," Armstrong called. Although Severus usually preferred to eat alone, he was curious about how they taught "Magical Martial Arts" at Southern, so he accepted the offer. He served himself from the platters of toast, scrambled eggs and bacon, all of which were being kept fresh by warming charms. There were bowls of fruit salad and oatmeal, too. It was amazing what traipsing around the swamps all night had done for his appetite.

"Do you like teaching here?" Severus asked. He wanted to get Armstrong talking about himself before the man could think to ask him any personal questions.

"Absolutely!" Armstrong replied. "I love it. I've developed an effective program for the kids, and I keep improving it every year. The kids really enjoy it, too."

"They enjoy it? What exactly do you teach them? How to duel and cast curses?"

"No, nothing like that," Armstrong said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Not at first, anyway. Since they start school here at the age of ten, we begin with games. The first thing I do is teach them simple camouflage and detection spells so we can play magical Hide and Seek. Then I give them challenging clues and send them to find hidden objects all around the school. There are target practice games, too. After that, we move on to indentifying and avoiding dangerous creatures, especially swamp creatures, and I take them on field trips into the bayous to see where some of them dwell. For the young ones, it's mostly about being alert, spotting threats, and avoiding them. We don't get into any rough stuff until they're older."

By "rough stuff", Severus assumed the man meant dealing with curses, werewolves, and such, rather than dodging hinkypunks. When he was a boy, Severus would have found those games boring, but in those days he'd had a chip on his shoulder and was eager to learn things that he could use against bullies. Fortunately, he'd already mastered a few curses from a book that he'd found hidden away in his mother's trunk. In any event, he had to admit that Armstrong's program sounded reasonable for ten year olds.

Before he could ask what the older students learned, Angie came in with a tall young man in a dark green uniform like hers. They were talking earnestly and took seats at another table.

"That must be her partner, the one who ran off," Severus said, frowning.

"Yeah," Armstrong said. "That's him. His name is Drew Saunders."

Severus' usual reaction would be to insult the young man at the first opportunity, but then his spy instincts kicked in. The fellow might be able to provide useful information, so it would be best not to alienate him right now. That could wait until later.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"This is lovely sherry, Lucius," Rita said after taking a sip. "May I call you Lucius?"

"Of course, my dear" Lucius said, smiling, although in truth he'd prefer that she didn't. She, Lucius, Narcissa and Draco were seated in armchairs around an elegant carved coffee table. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace behind a decorative screen.

"Let's start with how Mr Snape became a Death Eater," Rita said, getting out her quill. "In fact, how did _you_ become a Death Eater?"

Draco glanced furtively at Narcissa. What would his father say to that?

But Lucius remained unfazed. "Now Rita, remember your promise," he said smoothly. "No Quick-Quotes Quill. We want you to write it in your own words, with your own lovely and talented hand."

Reluctantly, Rita put the enchanted quill away in her green dragon-skin purse and took out an ordinary one. "So tell me about it," she purred. "How could a fine gentleman like yourself swear allegiance to that … _reptilian_ … creature?"

"He didn't look 'reptilian', as you put it, until much later, when it was too late," Lucius explained. "When I first met the Dark Lord he was a rather handsome man. He had dark wavy hair that was streaked with white, and his eyes had a mysterious red glow. He was charming, confident and charismatic. I liked him immediately.

"He told me that everyone, including muggles, would be better off if wizards came out of hiding and brought order to the world. You must admit that muggles certainly are making a terrible mess of everything. Crime, pollution, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, genocide, one war after another, there's no end to it. It's quite frightening, really."

Rita nodded in agreement as she wrote.

"He told me that he was looking to the old, established pureblood families like ours to head the movement and assume their rightful place as world leaders. He said that intermarriage would make wizards as incompetent as muggles, and it was essential to keep our blood pure so our power and intelligence would not be diluted. I'm sorry to say that I fell for it," Lucius said sadly.

_Now, don't overdo it, dear_, Narcissa thought to herself.

"Hmmm. It all sounds quite logical when you put it that way," Rita said. "But Mr Snape was the product of a mixed marriage, wasn't he? And whatever else he might have been, he wasn't incompetent."

"No, he certainly wasn't," Lucius replied, "but I thought Severus was an exception. At that time I didn't know about the Dark Lord's true parentage, or how degenerate the Gaunt family had become. It appears that, in his case at least, the addition of some muggle blood might actually have improved things for him." Lucius wasn't sure he really believed that, but he knew it would sound good under the circumstances.

"The Dark Lord started to look worse and worse as time went on, like the picture of Dorian Gray in that story by the squib Wilde. Maybe it was due to the way he was deliberately fracturing his soul; I'm not sure. But when he returned in that new body that Pettigrew helped him create, he no longer looked human. Perhaps he wasn't. And it quickly became apparent that he'd gone mad."

"I see," Rita said, jotting it all down. "Let's get back to Mr Snape then, shall we? What made him join You Know Who?"

"We must begin with his student years," Lucius said, "and take a look his beginnings, and then we can consider the events that drove him into the Dark Lord's clutches."

_Oh, good!_ thought Draco. He was eager to hear all about that, even if his father had invented most of it.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

It was late in the day before Severus was able to catch Drew Saunders alone. He had been watching him furtively all afternoon. At last, the young man had gone off by himself into an empty classroom, where he seemed to be lost in thought.

Severus closed the door quietly behind him and cast a nonverbal Muffliato over the room. "Mr Saunders?" he said.

Startled, Saunders whirled around.

"I don't think we've been introduced," Severus said. "My name is Solomon Slade. I'm a friend of Angie's brother, Kat, and as you probably know, we're here to help with the problem." He didn't offer to shake hands, but Saunders didn't notice.

"Oh, yeah," Saunders said. "We appreciate your help, Mr Slade, but I've been reinstated by the Agency, and I'll take it from here. You and Mr Fish can go back to your jobs now."

_Mr Fish?_ Perhaps that was Kat's real last name. Severus suppressed a smirk.

"That's very considerate of you," Severus said, "but we are not required elsewhere at present, and we can stay on for awhile. After all, we still have no idea what's going on here, and it's best to err on the side of caution. We mustn't let any harm come to the children."

"No," Saunders said. "No, of course not. The children's safety must always come first. You're certainly welcome to stay, if you wish."

Severus could barely keep himself from grabbing the young man and shouting at him. _This idiot can't even protect himself, let alone a school full of children! Aurors, Agents, wizard cops, or whatever you want to call them, they're all useless, self-important, over-confident dunderheads!_

Controlling his temper, Severus decided to get to the point. In a soothing tone of voice, he asked, "Can you tell me anything about what happened …" _how should I put this?_ "when you and Angie were overcome? Any sounds, or smells, or feelings? Anything you can remember might be important."

"You mean about what happened …" he paused, "that night? I'm afraid there's nothing. I've tried, of course, but there's absolutely nothing. Whatever it was, it must have Obliviated me."

Saunders looked down at the floor and Severus knew he was lying. _He wouldn't have lasted a day as a Death Eater_, Severus thought scornfully. Even Stan Shunpike could tell better lies than this. _It's time to stop pussyfooting around and get on with it_.

"That's unfortunate," Severus said, feigning sympathy. "It must be difficult for you."

"Yeah," said Saunders. "Yeah, it is." Then he looked up, and when he made eye contact, Severus pointed his wand and hit him with Legilimens.

Severus pushed his way into Saunders' mind and found it swimming with bad memories. Scenes of being bullied as a child, of being beaten up and humiliated, and memories of apathetic parents. Given his own experience, Severus considered such things a normal part of childhood. He shoved them aside and forged on. Then came a shocker: the boy had been kidnapped by a group of sadistic wizards, held for weeks, and forced to participate in repulsive rituals that they hoped would open the gates to the nightmare city of R'Lyeh. Even Severus understood that _that_ wasn't normal. No wonder the man was a mess! Agents had rescued him, so he wanted to be an Agent and make the world a safer place. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at it.

With difficulty, Severus dug down through the memories of the hideous rituals and found what he was looking for hidden underneath: the memory of that night in the swamp. Saunders was walking on a patch of dry ground a short distance from Angie when suddenly he felt cold. Ice began to crystallize on the puddles nearby, and icicles started to grow from the overhanging trees and Spanish moss. Then in a flash, all of his worst memories were released. The bullying, the overwhelming fear and loneliness, and those unspeakable rituals bubbled up in his mind and started to boil over. Saunders' head swam, and he was overcome with terror and despair. Then everything went black, and Severus _knew_. It was just as he had feared: a Dementor was loose in the swamps.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"How _dare_ you!" Archibald Pringle said when he saw Argus Filch standing in his parlor with Mrs Norris by his side. "I told you never to come here again!"

Filch looked even worse than usual. Totally dreadful, actually. His pale, angular face was unshaven, his hair was stringy, his cloak was dirty and threadbare, and he smelled like he'd been hiding in the sewers. Mrs Norris didn't look too good, either. Her yellow eyes glowed as brightly as ever, but her fur was dull and matted. She coughed loudly, brought up a hairball, and deposited the nasty wet glob on Pringle's Persian carpet.

"I missed you, too, father," Filch sneered. "I've come for my inheritance. Then I'll leave you and this cursed country for good. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You've gotten all that you'll ever get from me, you worthless squib," Pringle said bitterly. "It cost me plenty to buy you that position at Hogwarts. And how have you repaid me? You've become a wanted criminal, a man on the run! Thank Merlin I had the good sense to change your last name!"

Filch snorted. "You only bought me that position to hide me away. What does a school full of wizards need with a non-magical janitor? I spent years mopping and scrubbing by hand, not that anybody cared. I tried to do a good job, I really did, and I tried to keep order, but the brats just kept tormenting me. They _enjoyed_ it, the little sadists. So what if Headmistress Umbridge let me get a bit of revenge from time to time?" He smiled fondly as he remembered his days with her Inquisitorial Squad, helping to enforce discipline. He'd helped the Carrows a few times, too, even though Headmaster Snape had told him to stay out of it and stick to his janitorial duties.

"I helped evacuate the students before the big battle, didn't I?" Filch said proudly. "And so what if I just kept going afterward? What's a squib supposed to do during a wizards' war, anyway? And now they've all turned on me and declared me a criminal, just because I helped discipline some students a few times. First they kicked me out of my job, and then they tried to arrest me! No gratitude, any of 'em." He spat on the Persian carpet, which made Pringle cringe.

"You're a complete disgrace to this family," his father said in disgust. "You cannot possibly be my son."

"Well, I guess it's just a coincidence that I happen to look like you then," Filch said. "It's too bad I inherited your face, but not your power. But if you'll just give me 20 thousand galleons from that safe behind great grandpa's portrait, I'll be on my way, and you and mom can go back to pretending that I never existed." Filch knew that his father didn't trust Gringotts and kept his entire fortune in that safe.

"You'll never see a single sickle from me," his father hissed. "Now get out, or I'll call the Aurors."

Pringle was starting to reach into his jacket for his wand when the sawed-off shotgun emerged from under Flich's tattered cloak.

"Make that 25 thousand," Filch said.


	21. Chapter 21: The Split

**Chapter 21: The Split**

"What?" said Greg Saunders, shaking his head a bit. "Did you say something?"

Saunders didn't realize that he'd just been Obliviated, but of course he wouldn't; Severus was an expert at memory modification, thanks to his career as a spy. And now that he'd found the information he needed, the young Agent would never remember him taking it.

"I was saying that I want to meet with everyone in the garden in a half hour," Severus said. "I have a theory about what's been happening here, and I want to discuss it with all of you."

"Oh, yeah," said Saunders. "Right. I'll be there."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I believe our killer is a Dementor," Severus told them when they were all assembled by the fountain. "Last night I felt an unnatural coldness out there, and experienced terrible feelings of despair." He'd felt nothing of the sort, of course; he'd been nowhere near a Dementor, but he wasn't about to mention that he'd been running around in Saunders' mind, viewing the fellow's disastrous encounter with the thing.

"I think maybe that happened to me, too," Saunders said quietly, realizing that he should have told them much sooner. "The despair was overwhelming. I … I couldn't handle it." He didn't want to admit that he'd been completely terrified.

"Those are symptoms of a Dementor attack," Angie agreed. "But there are no Dementors here." She had been well trained about unnatural creatures at Department X. "From what I can remember, Department X records say that during the mid-1800's, a group of renegade wizards in England released the Dementors from another world. They couldn't control the creatures, but the British Ministry stepped in and somehow managed to negotiate a deal with the things. They let the Dementors act as prison guards, in exchange for allowing them feed on the prisoners. It got them out of circulation, and made them useful to the government."

Kat looked alarmed. "They suck all the hope out of you until there's nothing left, don't they?" he asked. "And I've heard they'll suck out your soul, too, if they can."

Angie nodded. "Yes, I believe that the Ministry uses them as executioners, as well."

"That's true," Severus said. "It's called the Dementor's Kiss. I think that's what happened to the victims here. Their souls were taken." He suppressed a shudder, knowing that could have been his fate after the so-called First War, if Albus or Aberforth had revealed that he'd given the prophecy to the Dark Lord. At that time he had believed he deserved to die for what he'd done, because of what had happened to _her_, but no one deserves to have their soul sucked out, no matter what their crime. _Except that twisted creep Pettigrew_, he thought. _And possibly Sirius Black._

"That's barbaric!" Armstrong said, thinking of his lost colleagues.

"But the Dementors are all in the UK, working for the Ministry, aren't they?" Saunders asked.

"They were until recently," Severus told him, "but the Ministry lost control of them. They got involved in the recent ... difficulties ... in the UK, and I don't know what became of them after that. Perhaps they fled, and it's possible that one of them might have come here."

"What can we do?" asked Armstrong. He wanted to destroy the thing before it got any of the children. He wanted to avenge his friends, too.

"Can all of you cast a Patronus?" Severus asked.

They all nodded that they could.

"Good," he said. "You may need to."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

When twilight came, Fawkes returned to his perch, but strangely, he didn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about the movie that he'd watched, where the birds were attacking the muggles. It was very exciting, but he couldn't understand why the birds were attacking like that. He didn't realize that no one else, muggle or wizard, who'd ever watched that movie had understood it, either.

He'd enjoyed the treats that the two girls had shared with him. The girls were okay, once you got used to their unusual plumage. They had given him some sort of roasted beans covered with dark chocolate. They were crunchy and quite tasty, although a bit bitter. And now he felt wide awake and strangely energetic, despite the fact that night was falling. It was inexplicable. Well, if he didn't fall asleep soon, maybe he'd go out for a night flight.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Let's split up," Angie said enthusiastically. "That will double our chances of finding the thing."

"That's not a good idea," Severus said. "A Dementor can trigger overwhelming despair, terror and panic. Or have you forgotten? We should stay together."

Saunders eyed Severus suspiciously. "How would _you_ know anything about it, Slade? Is that just hearsay, or were you in that British prison with them?"

Kat cringed. _Doesn't that guy have any sense?_ After all, maybe his friend actually had been.

But Severus took the remark in stride. "I encountered one once, when I was at the Ministry," he said casually, implying that he'd worked there, when in fact he'd been dragged there for interrogation and they'd threatened him with the thing.

"Well, I still think that splitting up will double our chances, so I'm going off with Greg, and the rest of you can form a second team," Angie announced.

"Then I'm going with you, Angie," Kat declared, moving to her side.

"Oh no, you're not," Angie told him. "Don't you pull that 'protective brother' stuff on me! I'm going with Greg; we're Agents, and he's my partner. _You're_ going with Slade and Armstrong."

Much squabbling then ensued, and even though Angie agreed that they'd be safer if they stuck together, she wanted to eliminate the Dementor as quickly as possible, so she kept insisting that they split up. In the end, Armstrong convinced Angie that he should join her team. "I want to study your methods," the big man told her. "The Agency's training is top notch."

As they parted ways, Armstrong gave Kat and Severus a look that told them he'd do his best to protect Angie. That made them feel a lot better about splitting up, even though it left the two of them on their own. They weren't worried about that, though.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

With caffeine surging through his body, Fawkes flew out of the school and into the night. He felt terrific. The sky was filled with stars and there was a crisp crescent moon over the river. Perhaps nighttime wasn't really as bad as he'd thought. Perhaps he should take night flights more often. Severus and his friends had been going out every night, and Fawkes had been wondering what they were up to. It might be something interesting, and now would be a good time to find out. He flew off in search of them.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Fawkes wasn't the only caffeine-fueled being who was out and about that night. Far below, the two girls who called themselves Darkness and Mysteria were wide awake for the same reason that Fawkes was, and they were busy sneaking out of the school.

"Where'd ya learn to do that?" Darkness asked as Mysteria conjured a rope and made it rise into the air like a charmed snake.

"From my big brother Manic, of course. It's really hard, ya know. I had to, like, practice all summer, but I finally got it. Come on, let's get over the wall." She grabbed onto the rope and let it pull her up to the top.

"Won't we set off an alarm?" Darkness asked as she grabbed the rope behind Mysteria.

"Nope," Mysteria said as they reached the top. "My brother says the alarm spells are set for things coming in, not things going out, except at the gates. The gates have both kinds. He made a study of it. He liked to go sneaking around the swamps at night. I dunno why. Maybe he liked talking to gators or something." She waved her wand and moved the rope to the other side of the wall.

"Okay, so, like how are we gonna get back in then?" Darkness asked.

"My brother made a charm for that. Come on, let's see if we can catch up with Mr Armstrong and those guys. I wanna know what's up with them."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I still don't like it!" Kat said as they marched down the path toward the swamp. "That guy Saunders is hopeless, and that Dementor-thing is extremely dangerous." He turned to Severus. "I've heard that Dementors can't be destroyed. Is that true?"

"There's nothing that can't be destroyed," Severus said. "But we'll have to find a way to do that, or else send it back to the world that it came from somehow. If nothing else, we should be able to drive it away from here."

"And hope that it doesn't come back later," Kat said despondently.

Severus looked grim. He wasn't looking forward to facing a Dementor again.

"Well, let's try to get the Dementor before it can get anybody else," Kat said. _Especially Angie_. "Maybe we need a different strategy. Maybe it's hungry for hope and happiness, and we've been too intense to attract it. Greenly and French were probably happy and relaxed when they were attacked. Let's try to emulate that."

Severus frowned. He didn't have much experience with hope and happiness, after all, so he was glad when Kat volunteered to act as bait. "I've had a pretty good life compared to most," Kat said, "and I've got few regrets or bad memories for it to release. I'll just conjure a lawn chair near where Mr French was attacked, it's not far from here, and I'll lie there and think happy thoughts. You can hide nearby and cover me."

It seemed like a reasonable enough idea. After all, prowling around the swamps all night hadn't accomplished anything except getting them wet and muddy.

As they walked toward the river looking for the right spot, Kat suddenly stopped and said, "After a Dementor sucks out the soul, the body lives on indefinitely in some sort vegetative state, doesn't it?"

Severus thought for a moment. "That might be possible," he said, "if the body were put on some sort of life-support system like the muggles use. However, since almost all of the victims have been condemned criminals, no one has ever bothered. They just left the bodies to die. It doesn't take long without water or food. The victims here got some medical attention, so they probably lived a bit longer than most."

"Look, I don't want to, like, burden you with this," Kat said, looking around uneasily, "but if that thing gets me, I don't want my body living on as a soulless shell, you know what I mean?"

Yes, Severus knew exactly what he meant. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he said, "and I'm sure I can count on you to do the same for me."


	22. Chapter 22: Game On!

**Chapter 22: Game On!**

**A/N:** The next chapter isn't ready yet, so Lucius is going to entertain us with a story instead. And - who knows? - it might even be true. Thank you, Lucius!

**Warning:** I try to avoid strong language in this story, in keeping with its rating, but sometimes, when describing the likes of James Potter, some naughty words just happen to slip in somehow. So consider yourselves warned.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"When the Sorting Hat cried 'Slytherin', I wasn't surprised," Lucius Malfoy said. "Young Severus looked like a neglected waif, which of course is exactly what he was, but he had an intensity about him that caught my interest immediately. As a Slytherin Prefect, it was my duty to clean him up and get him started on the right foot, which actually proved to be fairly easy, because he was thrilled to be sorted into Slytherin and he desperately wanted to fit in. For him, it was a dream come true."

Rita Skeeter looked up from taking notes. "Some say that being sorted into Slytherin is what sealed his fate," she said.

"Nonsense!" said Lucius. "If anything sealed his fate, it was the day he met that Gryffindor girl, long before he ever set foot in Hogwarts." Then he smiled warmly and added, "You would have been a credit to Slytherin House, Rita. It's a great loss that you went to Beauxbatons."

Rita smiled back and then returned to her notes. Lucius took the opportunity to sneak a quick glance at her long, shapely legs and her iridescent green stilettos. Not that he would ever dream of cheating on Narcissa, of course, but there was no denying that Rita Skeeter was an attractive woman, and there was no harm in looking.

"As you might expect, Severus hated the idea of charity," Lucius said, "but I convinced him that, as Slytherins, we had to maintain certain standards. I would give him some clothes that I'd outgrown, and he would pay me back in the future. When I said I'd throw in some of my old textbooks, his eyes lit up and I knew I had hooked him."

"I'm so glad you insisted on helping him, Lucius," Narcissa said. "He looked quite sharp in your old things, really, if a little bit out of date."

"We thought we might have to teach him manners, didn't we, Narcissa?" Lucius said, "but his mother had done that much for him, at least. And he watched the purebloods like a hawk, always studying their speech and deportment. If it weren't for his telltale last name, he would have been able to pass as a pureblood in no time."

"Muggles are all right in their place," Rita said, "but I gather that Tobias Snape was no gem."

"It's a shame that such a promising young man was saddled with such an unfortunate family situation," Narcissa agreed. "I said so myself at the time."

"He didn't let it hold him back, though," Lucius said. "He soon came up with a way to make a bit of pocket money: gambling. Gambling is forbidden at Hogwarts, of course, but that never stopped anyone. Slughorn turned a blind eye to it, except when he wanted to place a small wager himself. And of course, when he did, we always made sure that he won."

Draco smiled. When Snape was Head of House, he had always turned a blind eye to it, too, and now Draco understood why: Snape was carrying on the tradition that he had benefited from under Slughorn.

"Severus was very good at Wizard's Chess; apparently his mother had had some books on the subject, and he'd whiled away some boring afternoons studying the game. He also knew a muggle game called poker that he'd learned by watching his muggle father and his friends." Lucius couldn't quite hide his distaste at the thought of Tobias Snape and his mates. "Despite its muggle origins, it quickly became a hit in our common room, and eventually it spread to the other houses, too. The game seemed to be tailor-made for Slytherins, though, with the bluffing and strategy and so forth, and young Severus excelled at it.

"He was smart enough to know that, if he won too often, no one would play against him, so even though he hated losing, he limited his winnings to only a few percent, and he made sure that he occasionally had large losses. He would put on a good show, sulking when he lost, and he always had lots of eager opponents. But really, no one could hope to out-bluff him when he put his mind to it.

"Severus never gambled outside of Slytherin House, except for his big game against Sirius Black. That game was the stuff of legend, Rita! Not that it started out as a game of chance. The pooch-boy had slipped on the stairs and landed on his butt, and he claimed that Severus had tripped him. That might even have been true - who knows? - but he challenged Severus to duel him behind the greenhouses. I remember it like it was yesterday," Lucius said, with a faraway look in his eyes. "Severus was in his third year, I think. It was the year that I graduated."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_"I think not, Black," Severus said. "You may not care if you get expelled, but I do." He knew that, win or lose, he would be expelled for unsupervised dueling, even if he didn't hurt the Gryffindor thug. Black, on the other hand, would probably get off with detention._

_"Coward!" Black sneered. A crowd was starting to gather._

_"No, just sensible," Severus replied calmly, "but if you're so eager to face me, how about a little game? Poker, perhaps." He paused for a moment. "But of course, with your limited intellect, you wouldn't have a chance. It's a very subtle game, and you probably couldn't even figure out how to play it. Forget that I mentioned it."_

_"I can beat you any day, at anything, Snivellus!" Black roared._

Oh, now I've got him!_ Severus thought. Disowned by his family, Black didn't have any money except for whatever Potter happened to give him, but Severus would be pleased to take anything he had, and make a fool of him in the process._

_"In the Charms classroom then, tonight at seven o'clock," Severus said._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"What was Black thinking?" Rita asked. "Poker is no game for Gryffindors."

"Nobody ever said that Mr Dog-Breath was smart," Lucius said, chuckling. "Unfortunately, his pal James Potter was a bit brighter."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_Word of the challenge had spread quickly, although fortunately it hadn't reached the staff, and there was standing room only in the Charms classroom when seven o'clock rolled around and the two combatants took their places at the table. There was a ragtag assortment of Gryffindors and Slytherins, and naturally they gathered on opposite sides of the classroom. Some Hufflepuffs and a few Ravenclaws who'd turned up settled in the center. Kirby Pond, a Hufflepuff prefect, agreed to be the dealer. Letting either player touch the deck would have been the height of foolishness._

_"Poker?" said Black. "Isn't that the game where you have to bet your clothes, and the first one to get naked is the loser?"_

_"Don't be absurd. It's played for money," Severus sneered._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"I'd provided him with a substantial stake for the game, of course," Lucius said proudly, "and along with Potter, I was a referee, casting the privacy charms on the classroom, and the anti-cheating spells."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_"No, it's called Strip Poker for a reason, Snivellus," Black said, "which is that you've got to take your clothes off."_

_"We're going to play Draw Poker, idiot. As in Five-Card Draw. For money. The thought of seeing you naked makes me ill."_

_"You don't get to decide," Potter said, grinning. "We'll put it to a vote! Who here wants to see them play Strip Poker? Raise your hands!"_

_James Potter always was a prick._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"It happened too fast, and there was nothing I could do to stop it," Lucius said. "The worst part of it was that Potter had invented a variation in which the players had to put the clothes on the table _first_, when they made a bet, and they couldn't put them back on again, no matter who won the round. I objected strongly, of course," Lucius added. "That is _not_ how the game is supposed to be played! One should only have to take clothes off after one _loses_."

Narcissa looked aghast. "You've never actually _played_ it, have you?"

"Of course not, dear," Lucius reassured her. "It's totally undignified. I am familiar with the concept, however."

"In any event," Lucius continued, "all of the Gryffindors voted for Potter's rules, and some of the others, too, so they passed, despite the fact that the Slytherins all voted against them. Some people would much rather watch people losing their clothes than winning money, it seems." He shook his head as though he found that impossible to comprehend.

"So Severus was trapped. I knew he was self-conscious about his body - he usually showered early, before anyone else was up, for example - but he didn't want to let Black and Potter know that, so he had to pretend he didn't care."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_The problem wasn't that Severus was losing. He wasn't. Black was losing, but he was raising his bets like a deranged stockbroker, and he proved to be wearing a lot of clothes. It was a question of which one of them would run out first._

I've been set up!_ Severus realized. _ They must have planned this after I challenged Black. Potter must have thought it up. It's way too clever for Black.

_"I'll see that, and raise you a vest," Black said. They'd bet their sweaters this time. Their robes, scarves, and ties were already gone. Black stood up and made a show of wiggling out of his sweater and unbuttoning his vest. Then he twirled the garments over his head before he tossed them on the table. The Gryffindors cheered._

_A disturbing thought was starting to dawn on Severus: _Black is enjoying this! He's actually _enjoying_ stripping in front of an audience. He loves the attention. Sweet Merlin, I'm doomed! At least Lily isn't here to see it_. He could feel Lupin and Pettigrew watching him intently, though._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Severus was a scrawny lad," Lucius said, "but no more so than many other boys his age, and he really had nothing to be ashamed of, although I'm sure no one could have convinced him of that. Black, on the other hand, was more heavily built and a bit pudgy. His sojourn in Azkaban probably thinned him down later on, but then he must have filled out again while he was hiding out with the Order of the Phoenix. I was there at the Ministry when he met his end, and he was really rather flabby then."

Rita nodded. "I never met Mr Black, but he certainly looked dreadful in his Wanted posters."

"He was never an appealing sight," Lucius agreed. "I remember I thought that Black was unusually hairy for a boy that young, but of course I didn't know about his Animagus-dog thing at that time. None of us did."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_Severus wasn't wearing a vest, so he had to substitute something else. "I'll call that," he said, putting one of his shoes on the table._

_"No way!" said Potter. "A shoe doesn't equal a vest. It requires a shirt, at the very least."_

_"I beg to differ," said Lucius. "That's an excellent-quality shoe, far more valuable than that vest." It had once been his own shoe, after all. "And that vest is worn and threadbare. In fact, isn't that a rip I see in the lining?"_

_"Yup," said Kirby the dealer. He picked up the shoe and admired it. "Real nice leather, this."_

_"Who asked you?" Black snapped, but eventually he agreed to throw in his belt to bring up his bet. It had a gaudy Gryffindor belt-buckle that he claimed was extremely valuable. The Gryffindors hooted in agreement._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"So let me see if I understand this properly. Mr Black's strategy was simply to keep betting, win or lose, because he knew Mr Snape would run out clothes first?" Rita asked.

Draco winced. He knew what it must have felt like. He'd had a similar problem when Moody, or whoever it was, had transformed him into a ferret. His clothes hadn't been changed with him, and when he was changed back to human, he was sitting beside a pile of his clothes, stark naked, and everyone was standing around laughing at him. It had been a nightmare.

"That's right, Rita," Lucius said. "I'm not sure Black even knew how to play the game, but he was wearing more clothes than an onion has layers. His losses didn't matter. There was no way that Severus could outlast him, and they both knew it."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_Their shoes and socks disappeared in the next rounds. Even though Severus had been behind by one shoe, he won some small victories as Lucius continued to disparage the quality of Black's items, demanding that he make 'extra payments', while the spectators enjoyed the bickering. But Black didn't care. He happily threw in his shirt, revealing not his naked chest like everyone expected, but a layer of muggle-style long underwear! It was Gryffindor red, too. The Gryffindors roared with laughter._

_Severus was on the edge of panic, but somehow he managed to maintain his disinterested expression and relaxed posture. It would be his shirt next, and then …_

_His mind worked furiously, trying to come up with some way, any way, to disrupt the game. Perhaps he could he attract a professor somehow. But how? Maybe he could _Incendio_ a small fire under Flitwick's desk? Or maybe he should just hex Black right through the wall and be done with it. Being expelled might not be so bad after all. Not nearly as bad as being forced to strip naked in front of Black and the crowd._

o-o-o-o-o-o

"All eyes were on the players, so there was really nothing Severus could do without someone noticing," Lucius said. "Even with the help of concealment charms, someone was bound to spot it. So I knew I had to do something.

"I was up to the challenge, of course," he said proudly. "Potter had cast the privacy spell that kept the noise from being overheard in the hall, so while the crowd was laughing at Black, I wordlessly cast the countercharm. After that, it was just a matter of time before the staff would notice the commotion. And everyone would think that it was Potter's fault because his spell hadn't been up to snuff." Lucius smiled at his own cleverness.

o-o-o-o-o-o

_"Finished yet, Black?" Severus drawled as Black bowed to the spectators, "or are you going to give them an encore?"_

_"They love me, Snivellus," Black said, sneering, and he bowed again, making sure to point his derriere at his opponent. The Gryffindors whistled and cheered._

I might as well be hung for a wolf as hung for a lamb_, Severus thought, and slipping his wand out under the table, he cast a silent, slow-acting itching hex on Black. A murmur ran through the Slytherin section. _ Some of them must have seen me, _he knew_, but I think the Gryffindors missed it; they're too busy laughing at Black's antics.

_Grinning, Black sat down and Kirby dealt the next hand. It was Black's turn to make the opening bet, but at least that meant he wouldn't get a chance to raise it. That wasn't much consolation, though, because Severus didn't have anything left that he was willing to take off._

_"Trousers this time, Snivellus," Black said, starting to unfasten his. "And you have to match it with trousers. You can keep your shirt, for now." He reached over his left shoulder to scratch his back._

_"My shirt is far better than your pants," Severus said, playing for time. "In fact, if I match your bet with my shirt, it amounts to a raise and you'll have to throw in that dreadful red undergarment."_

_Black wasn't really listening though. He was twisting around, trying to scratch his back with both hands, which meant that his unfastened trousers were free to fall down around his knees. That impeded him when he tried step forward, and he staggered and fell. Then he started thrashing around, rubbing his itchy back against the floor and making unintelligible noises._

_"Unfair!" cried Lupin, jumping up from his seat. "They've done something to him!"_

_Potter drew his wand. "Snape, you cheating creep …"_

o-o-o-o-o-o

"I drew my wand then," Lucius said, "and of course Severus and the Slytherins followed my lead. Then all the Gryffindors did likewise, and Pettigrew fired off a wild hex that barely missed Kirby Pond. Pandemonium broke out, with Gryffindors and Slytherins sniping at each other. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were caught in the crossfire and dove for cover. And Black continued to thrash about on the floor, trying to strip off the remainder of his clothes in a futile attempt to stop the itching."

Rita chuckled. She'd long ago stopped taking notes and was leaning back in her chair, sipping her sherry and enjoying the story.

"The racket was incredible," Lucius added. "It sounded like a fireworks display was in progress, and it looked like it, too, so it was no surprise when Professor Sprout came barging in."

o-o-o-o-o-o

_"Stop this at once, all of you!" Pomona Sprout shouted, waving her wand angrily. "What's going on in here?"_

_Everyone froze, of course, although Severus managed to discretely release the itching hex while she was looking around the classroom in shock._

_"Mr Black! What in the world are you …"_

_Black had stopped thrashing and was lying there on his back, partially naked and tangled up in the long underwear. He looked up at her sheepishly, "I, errr, well I, uh …"_

_"Never mind!" Pomona said. "I don't think I want to know. Detention, each and every one of you, and 20 points each from your Houses!" She was particularly annoyed to see Hufflepuffs in the group, including one of her prefects._

_"You'll pay for this, Snape!" Potter hissed as they filed out of the wrecked classroom. "Some day, we'll make you pay!"_

o-o-o-o-o-o

"So we all spent a lot of time doing chores over the next few weeks," Lucius said, laughing, "starting with cleaning up the Charms classroom. It was a shambles. And all of the Quidditch teams were a bit short-staffed for a while, except for Ravenclaw - there hadn't been many Ravenclaws in the crowd. Maybe no one had bothered to tell most of them; they tend to be a bit stuffy.

"Anyway, it was a good thing that Professor Sprout never figured out what was really going on, or it would have been a lot worse. Kirby Pond told me that the Hufflepuffs thought it had been worth it, because it had all been so exciting. And the pooch-man's belt, with its big Gryffindor belt-buckle, graced the wall in the Slytherin trophy room right up to the end." A sad expression crossed his face. "I wish I could show it to you."

When the Houses had been officially disbanded during the summer, all of the House trophies, some of which were hundreds of years old, had been put into storage until the Board of Governors decided what to do with them.

Lucius picked up the cut-glass decanter. "More sherry, Rita? Narcissa?" Draco was on his second elf-made beer.

"No, thank you," said Rita, looking longingly at her empty glass. "It's been lovely, but it's getting late, and I'm afraid really I must be going. Could we continue this another time, perhaps?" Interviewing Lucius had turned out to be a lot more interesting and fun than she'd expected, and she'd gained a colorful story for her book about Severus.

"Of course, Rita," Lucius said, smiling, "I'm sure we can arrange another session whenever you'd like." He'd be happy to give her another story. One could never go wrong by gaining favor with wizarding Britain's most influential reporter.

**A/N:** Next time, back to the bayous!


	23. Chapter 23: Black Smoke and Green Mist

**Chapter 23: Black Smoke and Green Mist**

"There they are, standing by the river," Mysteria said.

"Yeah, it looks like Slade and that Kat guy." Darkness said. "I like Slade. He's, like, totally mysterious, ya know?"

Mysteria giggled. "Yeah, like tall, dark, and dangerous."

"Well, he's being tall, dark, and boring at the moment, just standing there talking to Kat. I hope they didn't come out here just to stargaze, or something stupid like that."

"Maybe. Who knows with grownups?" Mysteria said. "Let's wait. Something's bound to happen sooner or later, don't ya think? We can hide behind that big old tree over there and wait."

"I guess. I'm getting bored already," Darkness said, stifling a yawn. The caffeine was starting to wear off.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Try to relax, and be careful what you think about, Slade," Kat said as he conjured a reclining lawn chair. "We don't want the Dementor to sense your presence." Then he settled down under the stars and began reminiscing about his favorite moments in life, hoping this would attract the Dementor that had killed the two teachers.

Severus took up a position in a nearby patch of tall weeds, watching and waiting. He listened to the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes and tried not to think about anything at all, but soon his mind began to wander.

At first he thought about Kat. For a while he had believed that, if Kat had gone to Hogwarts, he would have been sorted into Gryffindor, but on reflection, that couldn't be right. Yes, Kat was brave, and a bit reckless at times, too, but he wasn't stupid, irresponsible, or obnoxious, so that ruled out Gryffindor. No, Kat would probably have ended up in Hufflepuff.

The Puffs weren't so bad, really. They could be brave, as Puffs like Cedric Diggory had proven many times, but Severus had never known a Puff to harass anyone. Although some people scornfully claimed that all Puffs were simpleminded, most of them were actually quite bright. They studied hard, didn't cheat or lie (at least not very often), and they were loyal to their families and friends.

Of course Hufflepuff had more than its share of weirdoes, since they got everyone who didn't fit anywhere else, but they didn't seem troubled by that. Severus had to admit that, when he was a student, he'd been a tiny bit jealous of the Puffs. Maybe that was why the other Houses liked to sneer at them: They were jealous. The Puffs seemed to know how to have fun. If they gave points for happiness, the Puffs would have come out on top. And Severus, of course, would have come out on the bottom.

_Mustn't think about Hogwarts now. Too many bad memories. The Dementor might sense them._

Was it negative emotions that Dementors craved, or was it the happy ones? Happiness powered the Patronus spell that could dive them away, but on the other hand, it was happiness that Dementors drained from their victims. Maybe that was just to get the happiness out of the way, so they could feast on the remaining despair. It was difficult to be certain. However, if it was happiness that they sought, it shouldn't be much of a problem, because Severus had never had much of that.

He'd had wonderful moments with Lily in the days before Hogwarts, but they were painful to think of now, given all the things that had happened since then. No, he needed to clear his mind. Then Kat would attract the Dementor, and Severus would set his Patronus on it. He hoped the silver doe would be strong enough to actually destroy the thing, instead of just chasing it away.

He tried to Occlude and focus his mind on his breathing, but the humid night air brought the smell of plants and herbs, and that made him think of brewing. Brewing had been his means of escape at Hogwarts, both when he was a student and later, when he was a professor. He had always been fascinated by the potions laboratory. He loved the myriad smells, the sound of bubbling cauldrons, the flickering of fires, and the jars of exotic ingredients on dark wooden shelves. He would lose himself in the potion-making process, slicing and stirring, watching the colors change as the ingredients were mixed together and combined to produce something altogether new. When he and Lily had worked together ...

He shouldn't have thought of Lily. He knew that, but the harder you try not to think of something, the more it will creep into your thoughts. He would need to think of Lily when the time came to generate the Patronus, but not before then. Not now. He tried to push the memories away, but they revived old feelings of guilt, and a wave of despair washed over him.

His head started to swim and he could hear her voice scolding him: "You were only interesting before I got to Hogwarts. After that, there were so many more exciting and knowledgeable people. People like James and Sirius. People from good backgrounds, with bright futures. Only a loser like you could possibly hang onto some stupid, childish notions for so long. You're pathetic."

He could hear Sirius and James laughing, and Albus, too. He could see them looking down on him.

"Poor Snivellus," Albus sneered. "You disgust me!"

"Shut it!" Severus snarled. "What did any of _you_ ever accomplish? You're all _dead_. You died without your wands, speaking of pathetic." Sirius must have had his wand when Bellatrix nailed him, but that was beside the point. "You defied the Dark Lord? You were like silly children playing games, and _you lost_."

"None of that would have happened if _you_ hadn't given Voldemort the prophecy!" Albus bellowed.

"None of this would have happened if _you_ had protected them, like you promised!" Severus spat back. "Greatest wizard of our time? What rot! I sold myself to you, and you did _nothing_. She was killed anyway, along with her useless husband. And in the end, you set me up to be murdered by the Dark Lord, after you set me up to murder you."

"And you did such a lovely job of it!" Albus said, laughing. "I never felt a thing. So much nicer than what Bellatrix would have done. Or Voldemort. So much nicer than what he and Nagini did to _you_."

Their laughter faded away, and he saw the crew from the Knight Boat. They all looked angry, and Seabiscuit was holding a copy of _The Daily Prophet_.

Kat pointed at him. "We know all about you now," he said. "You can't fool us any more. We're done with you!"

Severus was chilled to the bone and felt sick. "No, please! You don't understand," he pleaded. "I didn't want to deceive you - you're my friends - but I knew you'd hate me if you knew the truth. Please, give me another chance!"

But then he realized what was happening. Or rather, he realized what _wasn't_ happening. None of this was real. No, it had to be the Dementor, bringing forth his innermost fears.

He opened his eyes and saw the thing looming in front of him, hovering above the frozen weeds. Its head and torso were covered with what looked like a rotten burial shroud. There were no legs beneath it, and its arms were contorted and boney, but its mouth was gaping open and he could feel it pulling on him somehow, sucking out his emotions and feeding on them. The despair was unbearable.

He pointed his wand and cried, "_Expecto Patronum!_" He tried to think of Lily in the playground, but the playground was empty now. Silver mist poured from his wand, but it failed to coalesce into a Patronus. He swore loudly.

"Huh?" said Kat who, despite his best efforts, had dozed off to sleep. He twisted around to see what was going on, which caused his lawn chair to flip over and dump him on the ground. He cast from where he lay, underneath the inverted chair: "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Severus forgot about the playground then and remembered that night on the boat, after they'd defeated Dolohov's gang. His friends were laughing happily. There was Kat, and Captain Clark, and Seabiscuit, and Lydia and Jack, too. Friends. _His_ friends. And of course, Fawkes. The phoenix had saved his life! Feelings of happiness welled up in him, and the mist formed into a sliver streak. It struck the Dementor in the head just before the silver bolt from Kat's wand slammed into its torso. The thing spun around and fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

Then, in the bright silvery light from their spells, they were horrified to see several more Dementors hovering near the edge of the river. Severus wasn't sure how many there were, but he could see at least two or three. He swore again and watched as his Patronus swerved and went after them, with Kat's Patronus right beside it.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_There they are!_ Fawkes spotted the silvery light and turned toward the battle. _They're in trouble again, too. I can't leave those guys alone for a minute!_

Then the riverbank came into view and Fawkes was shocked to see the Dementors. The sight filled him with rage: _Filthy things! Unnatural things! Hateful, hateful things!_ They were everything that the phoenix loathed.

He gave a mighty flap and drove himself into a dive, thrusting his beak forward and folding his legs and wings back to streamline his descent. He shot downward like a javelin. _Five seconds to impact ... four ... feet forward ... talons out ... two ... one ..._

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Who's Slade arguing with?" Darkness asked. She peeked out from behind the tree. "Himself? I don't see anyone else out there. I think Kat's asleep." A sliver light flashed near the lawn chair. "No, wait, I think he just woke up. What's _Expecto Patronum_ mean?"

"I dunno," Mysteria said.

Darkness peeked again and then she froze. "Oh _crap_! Look at those ... those ... those _things_. One of them is coming _this way_!"

Intense fear, unlike anything they'd ever imagined, gripped the two girls. _We're gonna _DIE! Darkness thought.

It was the hardest thing that she'd ever done in her short life. She was shaking and she felt sick to her stomach, but Darkness managed to raise her wand. She drew a three-fold pattern in the air and cast the worst hex that she knew: "Ta ... Ta ... _Toxicodendron_!" she shouted. Yellow-green goo streamed from her wand and splattered on the Dementor. The thing stopped advancing and hovered in front of her, slime dripping from its shroud. It seemed confused. Perhaps no one had ever tried to give it poison ivy before.

Mysteria, too, fought her fear and tried to hex the thing. "_Tarantallegra!_" she cried, somehow overlooking the fact that the Dementor didn't have legs.

The Dementor was starting to advance again when Fawkes slammed into its head and drove it to the ground. _Impact!_ He pecked and clawed at it furiously, sending chunks of its shroud flying through the air, along with globs of some sort of grey goo. _Take that! And that! And that, you filthy soul-sucker!_

"Yaaay, Fawksie!" Mysteria yelled, punching the air. "Way to go, bird!"

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_The doe. Where is the silver doe?_ Severus wondered in confusion as the silver phoenix stopped in front of him, dissolved into mist, and disappeared into his wand. He knew that a life-changing experience could change one's Patronus, but he never expected it to happen to him. The doe was gone.

"A phoenix? I should have known," Kat said as a silver catfish returned to him. He looked down at the remains of the Dementor that had attacked Severus. "Is that thing dead?" he asked, staring at the lumpy grey heap on the ground. He poked at it with his foot.

Suddenly the heap began to twitch and the two wizards jumped back. A puff of thick black smoke, like diesel exhaust, burst out of it and began to float away.

"I think it's a soul," Severus said quietly. He wondered if it was anyone he'd known.

Another puff of black followed, and then a sparking green mist emerged. It twinkled in front of them for a moment, and then it rose upward and slowly disappeared into the night sky.

"Mr Greenly?" Kat murmured.

Then came more. Many were black or dark grey, but there was a sapphire blue one and a deep purple one, too. Severus wondered what color his would be.

"We've set them free," he said.


	24. Chapter 24: A Slytherin Reunion

**Chapter 24: A Slytherin Reunion**

"So let me get this straight, "Mr Cohen said. "You destroyed one Dementor, Fawkes destroyed a second one, and there's at least one more still out there?"

Severus looked out at the rising sun through the window in Cohen's office, ignoring the conversation. He still felt chilled from the previous night's encounter with the Dementor. He couldn't quite shake off the hallucination the monster had brought him. _Did Albus really feel that way about me?_ he wondered._ Did Lily?_

"That's right," said Kat. "Slade and I both struck it at the same time, and that was enough to kill it. Then we heard Fawkes screeching."

"And Blossom and Chastity were there?" Cohen asked.

"Those two girls? Yeah, we didn't realize they were there until we heard Fawkes."

_Blossom and Chastity?_ That got his attention, and Severus almost laughed. _No wonder they prefer to call themselves Darkness and Mysteria!_

"We saw the light from the spells and Apparated to the site," Angie said, "and we found the girls with Kat and Slade and Fawkes, staring at what was left of a Dementor. Puffs of mist were rising out of it. Slade said he thought they were souls the Dementor had consumed, being released from some kind of dreadful captivity."

"Then we hurried back here and Armstrong took the girls to the infirmary," Saunders said. "They were trying to pretend that being confronted by a Dementor was no big deal, but it was obvious they were really shaken up."

"I guess it was a mistake not to tell the students about the danger," Cohen said, "but we didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily."

"You had better tell them so no one else tries to sneak out there," Severus said. Withholding information from students was a mistake. Albus had proven that on too many occasions. It was better that they should know the truth, even if it upset them. "And Armstrong should start teaching everyone the Patronus charm immediately. It may not be easy for some of them to learn, but it's time for them to start trying." The students probably had a much better supply of good memories to draw on than he did, after all.

"I'm gonna get some breakfast," Kat announced. "Anyone want to join me?"

"No," said Severus. "I think I'll go get some sleep."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus was back in the dungeons at Hogwarts, and he knew the Dark Lord would be there soon. He was desperate. He had to protect the students and complete his mission, but it was hard to move. He tried to make his way up out of the darkness through a narrow, winding staircase, but Minerva and Draco blocked his way. They both scowled down at him. "The Dark Lord will love us now," Draco said happily, but before he could act, Minerva cast Fiendfyre. Severus turned and tired to flee back down the stairway, but he couldn't move fast enough. He woke as the flames enveloped him.

He was drenched with sweat, despite the room's cooling charm. The Dementor's attack had revived old guilt and fears. Did all of his old 'friends' hate him? He remembered how Minerva had attacked him, in reality as well as in the dream. Flitwick had, too, but that was understandable, given the circumstances. But what about Albus? Albus had known him better than anyone. Had Albus hated him, too?

When he thought about it, Severus realized that Albus had been a very fortunate wizard. Obviously it hadn't been part of Albus' plan for the Potters to be murdered so that Severus would become his spy. At least Severus hoped it wasn't. He didn't want to think about _that_ possibility! But his role as a double agent had proved to be essential, and who else could possibly have done that job?

How many times did Severus have to smile and pretend to love the Dark Lord, when in fact he wanted nothing more than to kill that red-eyed monster himself? How many times did he have to watch things, and sometimes do things, that made him sick in his soul? Could James or Sirius have sat there impassively and watched the murder of Charity Burbage and so many others? Could Albus? Lily certainly couldn't have. What was it about Severus that enabled him to do such things when he had to? Was there something profoundly wrong with him?

He knew wasn't going to get back to sleep with thoughts like those running through his head, besides which it was nearly noon, so he showered and dressed, and set off for the dining room. He noticed that Fawkes' perch was empty. He had expected the bird to be tired after being out most of the night and destroying a Dementor, but apparently the phoenix was up and about.

When he reached the dining hall, Severus helped himself to a sandwich and some coffee. The elves here made good coffee, but their tea was insipid. He noticed that the place seemed unusually quiet for lunchtime, especially since it was a Saturday. Only a few students were present, and most of them didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Perhaps they'd heard about the Dementor attacks.

As usual, Armstrong came over to join him. "Good news, Slade!" he said. "The Agency has finally realized how serious the situation here is. They don't want Dementors establishing themselves in the US, so they're going to send a team to exterminate them. You and Kat can go back to your boat soon."

Severus had mixed feelings about that. He wanted to return to the boat, of course, but he was enjoying the school, too. He hadn't inspected the potions classroom yet or upset the potions teacher, and he would be remiss if he didn't investigate their library.

"Does your library have a good collection?" he asked.

"It's very good," Armstrong said proudly. "There's a lot of old French and Spanish stuff, an excellent Caribbean section, and lot of stuff about pre-Columbian times, too."

"That sounds interesting," Severus said. "I think I'll go take a look." Perhaps they'd have a good restricted section, too.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"If she makes us eat any more chocolate, I think I'm going to puke," Mysteria said, sitting up in bed. She and Darkness had been in the infirmary all night, and the nurse wouldn't let them leave.

The thought of a puddle of warm, chocolaty brown vomit made Darkness turn pale green. "Don't you dare!" she said. Then she decided she'd better change the subject before they both started puking. "Whaddaya think it was like for those souls, being trapped inside that thing?

"I dunno" Mysteria said, "but I think we came awfully close to finding out."

Darkness curled up in the bed and pulled the sheet up over her head. "You're not making me feel better," she mumbled.

"Hey, it's Fawksie!" Mysteria said. "He's come to see us!"

The phoenix landed on the footboard of her bed and chirped softly. _Poor girls, set on by that horrid thing! They're so nice. They shared their treats with me and showed me that strange moving picture._

Darkness peeked out and smiled. "He's concerned about us! That's so sweet!"

"Hi, pretty birdie!" Mysteria said. "Hey, maybe we can watch a vid; I think there's a muggle video player thing here. You wanna watch a video with us, Fawkes? I've got a few in my bag." She leaned over and pulled a backpack out from under her bed.

Fawkes had no idea what they were talking about, but he could see that they were both feeling better now, which pleased him. _A phoenix is the best cure there is_, he thought proudly_. Infinitely better than chocolate_!

"So what have we got?" Darkness asked. "Anything with birds?"

"I don't think so, but here's _Evil Dead II_," Mysteria said, pulling the cassette out of her bag.

Simultaneously, both girls realized that they did _not_ want to watch zombies. The Dementor had temporarily cooled their enthusiasm for that sort of thing.

Mysteria dropped the cassette back into the bag and pulled out another. "Hey, how 'bout some Road Runner cartoons?"

"Oh yeah, great!" Darkness jumped out of bed. "Fawksie will like those. Let's set up the video thing!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Just after he left the dining hall, Severus turned a corner and was shocked to hear a startled, vaguely familiar voice say, "Profess…"

He looked up quickly and saw Jules Bulstrode, Millicent's younger brother, who was standing in the hall with a group of Southern students. Jules had been a fourth-year Slytherin. Severus shot the kid a deadly look, and lad immediately got the message and pretended he was coughing: "Ack! Off! Urk!"

"You OK?" one of the Southern students asked.

Severus was none too happy to be recognized, but thank Merlin it was a Slytherin and not someone from one of the other Houses! Slytherins know when to keep their mouths shut. Severus gave Bulstrode a barely perceptible nod, glanced toward an empty classroom, and then continued on his way. The lad would know what he meant.

_What is Bulstrode doing here?_ he wondered. _Why isn't he at Hogwarts? Did he transfer? Are there Gryffindors here, too?_

When he was confident that no one was paying any attention to him, Severus doubled back to the empty classroom. Inside, it looked like the younger students had been working on magical painting. There were childish-looking watercolors hanging on the walls. Smiling figures labeled 'Mom' and 'Dad' waved mechanically in front of little houses. Smoke rose from the chimneys and painted flowers bloomed in the yards. In one, a dog with a red collar bounced around in the foreground. Blotchy blue raindrops fell in another.

He didn't have to wait too long before Jules turned up. And he wasn't alone. Three other young Slytherins were with him: Marigold Montague, Mick Bletchley, and Donny Derrick. They closed the door and gathered around him excitedly.

"Professor! It's really you! You're alive!" Marigold cried. She looked as if she was going to hug him, but fortunately she got hold of herself.

"Obviously," Severus said, frowning. "And you'll kept that information to yourselves. My name is Solomon Slade now, and you've never seen me before."

"You can count on us, sir! It's a Slytherin secret!" Marigold said, making some sort of secret hand-gesture. The others nodded eagerly and repeated the gesture.

"How'd you do it, sir?" Jules asked, grinning.

Severus dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "Never mind that," he said. "What are you doing here? Are there any non-Slytherins?"

"No, it's just the four of us, sir," Donny said. "We couldn't face going back to Hogwarts. Not after what happened. They're saying we're all cowards and little Death Eaters, because McGonagall kicked us out and then we didn't fight in the battle. Everyone made it plain that we're not wanted. We weren't wanted then, and we're not wanted now. So some of us decided to go somewhere else to finish school. Somewhere where nobody cares about Harry stinking Potter or the bloody Dark Lord."

"A lot of the seventh-years like Millicent and Blaise studied at home to pass their exams," Jules said, "and the ones who can afford it hired tutors. But the younger ones like us still have several years to go, so some of our parents started looking at other schools abroad. The ones in Europe where they don't teach in English, like Durmstrang, Zauberberg and Beauxbatons, would be tough for most of us, even with translation charms, but there are lots of good schools here in North America. "

"It's not just Slytherins," Marigold said. "It's anyone who wasn't 'in' with Potter and his pals, or who didn't fight. Marietta's mom lost her job at the Ministry because Marietta was a 'traitor', and they went to Canada - Montreal, I think. I heard that Cho Chang went with them. Marietta cried really hard when she heard you were dead," she added. "She was so grateful to you for creating that potion that healed those scars on her face."

That had been one of the first things he'd done after he'd been appointed Headmaster. The poor girl had been left to suffer for way too long.

"Some stayed on at Hogwarts, of course," Mick said. "It's the cheapest thing to do, and some parents insisted on it. Family tradition and all that. Personally, I feel sorry for them. They're going to get treated worse than dirt."

"I'm sure you're right," Severus said. He remembered quite clearly what it had been like in his own student days. _I mustn't get involved_._ There's nothing I can do for them now, _he thought grimly. _But perhaps they can help each other._

"I want you to get in touch with all of the Slytherin students, at Hogwarts and elsewhere," he told them. "Set up a Slytherin grapevine, and write to one another, even the ones that you may not like. I'll give you a list of recent graduates that you can trust, and I want you to include them, too. They can provide advice. You're all in this together, and you need to help one another. Don't let anyone feel left out. And keep me informed!"

_I've got to stop worrying about 'my' students_, he thought as he left the classroom. _That part of my life is over. It's Minerva's problem now._

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"We're definitely going to have to expand the restricted section," Minerva said, looking at the stacks of books. "Most of these are_ not_ suitable for students."

The Ministry had finally gotten around to processing Severus' will. He had left everything to Hogwarts, and all of his belongings had been brought from Spinner's End and deposited in his quarters in the dungeons. Most of it was books, many of them ancient and bound in dark leather.

"Some of these books are … disturbing," Pomona said, eyeing a black book covered with strange symbols and titled in what looked like Arabic script. She opened it, and a malevolent-looking mummy glared at her from a hand-drawn illustration. He lay in a stone sarcophagus, his yellow eyes glowing through a gap in his filthy wrappings. When he started to twitch, she closed the book quickly but carefully. "You don't suppose he had a copy of the you-know-what, do you?"

Minerva looked at the cover but didn't touch it. "The Necronomicon?" she said. "I suppose it's possible. Severus couldn't very well pretend to be a member of Voldemort's inner circle without an exceptional knowledge of the Dark Arts."

"We'd better be careful what we touch," Pomona said. "There could be some cursed artefacts in here."

"He left everything in perfect order, you know," Minerva said, changing the subject. "I'm sure Albus must have left things in a mess, but Severus had the bookkeeping up to date and the budget was balanced. He left his will in the top drawer of the Headmaster's desk, where we would be sure to find it. There was even a letter of resignation. It said, 'As of the end of this term, or my death, whichever comes first.' He must have felt that he was doomed."

"He always was a stickler for details," Pomona said. "I almost miss him sometimes." She paused for a moment and then said, "Minerva, there's been another brawl in my House, former Gryffindors against former Slytherins again. Several of them had to be taken to the infirmary. I don't know what to do, I really don't. Maybe it's hopeless."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Ron opened a butterbeer. The fridge at Grimmauld Place was always well stocked. "Hermione and I have been thinking of postponing the wedding," he said. "Do you and Ginny mind? I mean, it's supposed to be a double ceremony and all. It's not that Hermione and I don't love each other, but everything's been happening so fast."

If Harry had been cheating on Ginny, maybe this would get him to open up about it.

"Too fast, really," Harry agreed. "Your mom would have had us all married on my birthday, if we hadn't talked her into waiting until next spring. I mean, I love Ginny, and I love your mom, too - she's the only person who's ever been like a mother to me - but I don't think I'm ready yet. You remember how the prophecy said that 'neither shall live while the other survives'? Well, I feel like I haven't really lived yet. First it was the Dursleys, and then it was the whole 'Boy Who Lived' thing, and then I was supposed to save the entire wizarding world, except the world couldn't seem to make up its mind whether it loved me or hated me, and … well, you know. You were there."

"I hadn't thought about it that way; about the prophecy, I mean," Ron admitted. "Was that why you went to Norway, because you wanted to get away from all that for a little while?"

"Yeah, it was fun." Harry paused. "But there was more to it than that."

_Ah ha!_ Ron thought. _I knew it!_

"Do you remember that guy from that Knight Boat that we saw when we were on that training mission? I'm sure it was Snape in disguise. In fact, I'm positive of it. Someone sent me that picture of my mom and the piece of her letter, and it had to be him."

Whatever Ron had been expecting to hear, this wasn't it. Harry must be off his nut, but saying so wouldn't help. No, he'd try a different approach. "Well," he said, "it's good if Snape's alive, but if he was disguised it means that he doesn't want anyone to know, so he'd probably want you to just forget about it."

"I don't know," Harry said. "I feel some sort of strange kinship with him now. Maybe it started when I was reading the Prince's potions textbook. I sort of got to like the Prince then, even though didn't know he was really Snape. And when I viewed those memories that he gave me in the shack, they were really powerful, maybe because he thought he was dying and he poured everything into them. Whenever I'd seen things in a Pensieve before, it was like I was just an observer, but with those memories, I could almost feel what he felt."

Ron wasn't sure where all this was going, but it was making him very uneasy. Had Harry been possessed by Snape's ghost via those memories? He suppressed a shudder and forced himself to keep smiling.

"He didn't want me to die, you know," Harry continued, "and he was really angry at Professor Dumbledore for not trying to change that. Remember how he saved my life at that Quidditch match, even though he and I hated each other? Do you think I owe him a life debt? I didn't even lift a finger to help him when we thought he was dying."

"I think you should leave well enough alone," Ron said firmly.

"Probably, but I want to know if he's okay. That's why I hailed that Knight Boat that took me to Oslo. I was looking for Snape, but I got the wrong boat. I'm going to try again. You understand, don't you?"

Ron didn't, really, but he wasn't going to abandon Harry now. "Well," he said, "if that's what you've got to do, then I'd better go with you. I can pick up the pieces and bring them back after he hexes you into the next millennium. Assuming he's alive, that is, and assuming we can find him." Ron sincerely hoped that Snape wasn't, or that they couldn't.

"Um, Harry," Ron said, putting his butterbeer down on the coffee table and slipping his wand out of his jacket, "is that a hand that I see under your couch?"

"Huh?" said Harry. He leaned down and looked, and sure enough, there was a detached hand hunkered down almost flat on the floor under the couch. "Yikes!" he cried. "It's one of those horrible hand-things that we let out of that cauldron! It must have escaped! Get it!"

Harry dropped down on one knee, pulled his wand out of his back pocket and pointed it under the couch, but the hand jumped up and galloped across the room on its fingertips.

"Whaddya mean 'we'?" Ron said. "You're the one who let 'em out." He fired a stunner, but the hand jumped sideways and dodged it, and then it scampered off into the kitchen and slipped through the gap under the cellar door.

Harry sealed the door with a spell. "It must have followed me back here somehow," he said, scratching his head. "We'll have to figure out some way to trap it."

Ron sighed. The war was over, but being the best pal of The Chosen One wasn't getting any easier.


	25. Chapter 25: Elf Appreciation Day

**Chapter 25: Elf Appreciation Day**

Armstrong caught up with Severus in the hall outside the library. "Today is Elf Appreciation Day," he announced. "We're celebrating the renewal of their contract. We're having a barbecue this afternoon, and we want you guys to join us. We're hoping it will cheer the students up a bit," he added. "This morning Mr Cohen told them about the Dementor attacks, and the truth about what happened to Greenly and French. They're all pretty upset."

"It's best to tell them the truth, even if it's distressing," Severus said coldly. He couldn't help thinking of Albus for a moment. "But what kind of contract do your elves have?" He'd never heard of an elf contract, but he didn't know much about elves, even though they'd been a great help to him when he was Headmaster.

"Well, back when America was being settled, a lot of wizard families brought their house-elves with them from Europe," Armstrong said, "but after the Civil War, they decided that it was wrong to own them and they passed the Smiles-Crumley Act of 1867, which made elf ownership illegal. After that, a few of the more adventurous elves went out west and signed on as cooks for the cattle drives. It's said they revolutionized chuckwagon cooking by introducing new kinds of beans. A few others became cooks in the gold rush towns. Most, though, preferred the traditional role and opted to continue with their families by becoming employees instead of property. Today, families and organizations make contracts with their house-elves. That's what we do here at the school," he added proudly.

"It's mostly a formality, of course. The elves are very happy here with us, and we're very happy with them, but it's the custom to renew the contract every year. We make sure the elves get proper salaries and benefits, but the thing they like most is being appreciated, so every year after classes have started, we hold a barbecue in their honor. We really do appreciate them. They're a great bunch, and I don't know what we'd do without them."

The same was true at Hogwarts; Severus couldn't imagine trying to run the place without elves.

"Come on," Armstrong said. He almost clapped Severus on the shoulder, but then he thought better of it. "Let's go find Kat and the others. Everything's set up out in the back courtyard, and the elves have started cooking. Let's bring Fawkes, too. The kids would love a chance to see a real phoenix."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

When Severus entered the infirmary, Darkness and Mysteria were watching the video player and arguing with the nurse. They were both dressed in white housecoats and infirmary pajamas, and Fawkes was sitting on the back of the couch between them. Alvin, Mysteria's tarantula, sat on her shoulder.

"We're not well enough to leave yet," Mysteria announced. "We need some more chocolate."

The nurse looked exasperated. As she turned and left the room, the video player emitted a loud 'twang' followed by a crash.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Feeling better, are we?" he asked. He marched over to look at the screen and saw a stunned-looking cartoon coyote peering out from under a fallen anvil. A cartoon bird stuck its tongue out rapidly, said "Beep! Beep!" and ran off down the road.

Fawkes chirped "Beep! Beep!" and cackled happily.

"Mr Slade! You've come to see us!" Darkness said, grinning at him. Her mouth was smeared with chocolate.

Severus bristled. "I'm looking for Fawkes," he said sternly. "He's been invited to a barbecue."

"The barbecue?" Mysteria said. "I forgot all about that! We'd better get changed." She pointed a little box at the video player and the screen went black.

"Where'd she put our clothes?" Darkness asked. "These rags are, like, totally boring."

As Severus left the infirmary with Fawkes flying ahead of him, the nurse whispered, "Thank you!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The smell of smoke and barbeque sauce rose into the air as the elves busied themselves over the charcoal fires. Since the barbeque was in their honor, they insisted on doing all the cooking themselves. It was a point of honor with them.

"I think they believe that all wizards are incompetent," Armstrong said.

Severus nodded. "In most cases, they'd be right."

The students were milling around, waiting for things to get started, so Armstrong called them over to see Fawkes, who had obligingly settled on a low-hanging tree branch where they could all admire him.

"That's right," he said as the students gathered around, "this is Fawkes, and he's a real phoenix. They're extremely rare. In fact, he is the first one that I've ever seen."

The children craned their necks trying to get a better look.

"Do you see how the feathers on his body are iridescent? They vary from scarlet to crimson to reddish purple, depending how the light strikes them. There are blue-green phoenixes, too, or so the legends say. Full-grown phoenixes, like Fawkes here, are about as big as swans, and they have a wingspan of almost 10 feet."

Fawkes didn't understand what Armstrong was saying, but he could see that the man was pointing to his wings, so he obligingly spread them, eliciting a chorus of ooohs and aaaahs from the children. Some of them brought out cameras and snapped pictures.

"He really is beautiful!" Angie said, as she and Kat watched from the back of the group.

"That bird is the world's biggest ham," Kat said, chuckling.

"Note the feathers on the undersides of his wings," Armstrong added. "They're bright yellow, just like those long feathers on the crown of his head, and the ones over his eyes and in the center of his tail."

Fawkes folded his wings and looked down at the students. _Cute little fledglings_, he thought as they chattered happily below him. _They love me! I wish Albus had showed me to the little ones at Hogwarts like this, but he was always too busy._

"Now I'm sure you've all heard how phoenixes live for millennia," Armstrong continued. "When old age catches up with one or it suffers an accident, it bursts into flames, and then it's reborn from its ashes as a healthy chick. Fawkes has probably done this many times. Imagine all the marvels that he's probably seen throughout history. He might have travelled with Marco Polo, or sailed with Columbus. Why, he was probably there when they built Stonehenge!"

"Look at his claws!" one boy shouted. "They look like they're made of gold! So does his beak!"

"Yes, and they're as sharp as daggers," Armstrong said, "so you must always treat him with the greatest respect."

"Yeah," Darkness interjected, "you should have seen him rip into that Dementor thing!"

"He was, like, totally awesome!" Mysteria added. Both girls were once again dressed in their favorite tasteless ensembles.

Armstrong went on to lecture about the healing powers of phoenix tears, the power of phoenix feathers in wands, and the use of phoenix droppings in medicinal potions. He continued until the elves began sending platters of food to the tables.

Fawkes flew over to inspect the spread. The steaks, ribs, and pork chops did not interest him, and neither did the ears of corn that had been roasted in the husk, or the baked potatoes wrapped in tinfoil. Coleslaw? No. Potato salad? No. Jello salad? Absolutely not! Where were the cakes and pies? He flew off to raid the kitchen.

Severus, Kat and Angie joined the faculty members, and after the students had settled in at the picnic tables and the hubbub had finally died down, Mr Cohen stood up and welcomed everyone to the Elf Appreciation Barbecue.

"We're all here to show our elves how much they mean to us," he said as the elves gathered in front of the group, all dressed neatly in their official Southern school tea-towels. Everyone clapped, and the elves bowed and curtseyed repeatedly, which made their big ears flap like bird wings.

Cohen showered them with praise for at least five minutes, and finally he announced, "This year, we have a special treat for everyone! The second-year students are going to start the festivities with a song that they wrote for the elves."

The elves quivered with excitement, but Severus scowled. This did not sound promising.

Assembling in front of the elves, the children began to sing:

"Thank you, thank you, little elves;

We want to thank you all ourselves;

We know you're there behind the scenes;

You make us feel like kings and queens!"

Severus grimaced and cast the _Gossypium_ charm on himself to block his hearing. He'd developed that spell after enduring things like the Valentine's Day nonsense that Lockhart had instigated during his disastrous year at Hogwarts. It came in handy on occasions like those, and it had been too bad that he hadn't dared to use it during the Dark Lord's interminable speeches.

The children continued singing:

"Thank you so much, little elves;

You're all wonderful, yourselves;

We love it when you wash our jeans;

You fry our eggs and bake our beans!"

It was obvious that the elves loved it. They tilted their ears forward to catch every note, and they clapped happily when the children had finished. Everyone else clapped too, possibly because they were glad it was over.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_Barbarous!_ thought Severus as he watched Armstrong gnawing on a barbequed rib. Then Angie grabbed an ear of corn, ripped off the husk, smeared it with butter, and started chewing the kernels directly off the cob. _Just like some tribe of Paleolithic hunters celebrating a big kill!_ Severus was _not_ going to sink to that level. Selecting a small ear of corn, he vanished the husk and charmed the kernels loose so that they fell into a neat pile on his plate beside his steak. Kat offered him a can of ice-cold Magic Dew, but he turned it down in favor of some ice water. He'd tried a sip of that abominable canned 'iced tea' that some of them liked, and it was all could do to keep himself from spitting the sickeningly sweet concoction across the table.

"Mind if I join you?" someone asked, and Severus turned to see 'Doctor' Proctor, the old man from the boat works who looked after the Muggle Mobile. "The wife's away visitin' the great great grandchildren in California, so I thought I'd do a bit of visitin' myself." He took a seat at the end of the table and helped himself to a steak and some potato salad.

"Good to see ya, Doc," Kat said. He and Angie had been arguing about Saunders. The young agent had stayed in his room, saying that he didn't feel well.

"The Dementors have a really strong effect on him, that's all," Angie said. "He just needs some time. He'll be okay."

"That's the problem," Kat said. "He's too sensitive. It's too bad that he came back. He's going to get somebody killed, and it could be you."

"He's just trying to face his fears," Angie said defensively. "I think he had some bad experiences in his past, and he's trying to get over them."

"Kat's right," Severus said harshly. "He's endangering people." Thanks to Legilimency, Severus knew what had happened to Saunders, but he had no confidence that the young man would ever learn to cope with it. The kid was drowning in his terrible past.

"I think he may be pushing himself a bit too hard," Proctor said thoughtfully. "You can't force these things. If it's something really bad, you never truly get over it, but with time, you get better at livin' with it." The old man popped open a can of Magic Dew. "Maybe I should have coffee with him sometime," he continued. "I've seen a lot of things, both good and bad, in my long life, and I seem to have a knack for helping people put things into perspective."

"Is it true that you're two hundred years old, like everybody says?" Angie asked.

"No, I'm not quite that old," Proctor said laughing. "But almost. I came here from a village in Africa – Proctor wasn't my name back then; I borrowed it after I got here so I could blend in better – when I heard about the Civil War. I was a foolish young hothead back then, and I thought I could come over here and win it single handedly, free the slaves, and make everything right." He paused for a moment. "It would be fair to say that I did not understand the magnitude of the problem."

A hush fell over their table. Of course he would have been there then. Most of them realized that, but no one had ever had the courage to ask him about it. It was a very sensitive topic, but the old man continued his story as if he were oblivious to that fact.

"There were powerful wizards on both sides, as well as hundreds of thousands of muggles," he said, "and when I got here on my flying carpet, I jumped right in, fool that I was. It was shocking. Horrible. The world had never seen killing on such a huge scale before, and it went on for years. Took me a long, long time to get over it. But let's not speak of such unpleasant things at such a nice picnic." He reached for the coleslaw. "Anybody else want some of this?" he asked.

_Yes, I'm sure that would take quite a long time_, Severus thought, but it appeared that the old man had managed to do it. Severus's own past was beginning to feel a little bit more remote now, like he was starting to wake up from a very bad dream. Especially here, relaxing at a picnic, surrounded by interesting companions. But his close call with the Dementor had reminded him that the old emotions were still there, lurking in the back of his mind. He needed to let go of his past, of all the guilt and pain and resentment, but that was easier said than done. For a moment, he almost felt a touch of sympathy for Saunders, but he quickly pushed that thought away.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The Ghoul Busters, as the expert team from the Agency was called, flew in on their black brooms as the barbecue was wrapping up. They looked rather scary in their dark green robes and black helmets, but Severus doubted that the Dementors would be impressed.

"You can all go home now," their captain announced confidently. "We'll take it from here." Then he marched off to organize his team.

"They have no idea what they're getting into," Severus muttered.

"It's just as well that they're here, though," Kat said. "I think I'm too full to move. There's no way I could go out there tonight." His plate was stacked with gnawed bones, corn cobs, and other food residue.

Angie gave him a disgusted look. "You didn't have to make such a pig of yourself!"

Kat just rolled his eyes. "I'll summon the boat in the morning," he said, yawning, "after I sleep this off."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Cosmo, the boat's kneazle, sniffed the air when the boat docked in Glasgow. _That's ... interesting_, he thought. _Very interesting. Do I detect … a female?_ He bothered to get up, stretch, and jump off the captain's chart table. Then he wandered out onto the deck to check things out.

A rather ragged-looking fellow with long, stringy hair and a frown on his face was standing on the dock. Cosmo sniffed the air again. It smelled a bit like the fellow had been hiding in the sewers.

As Captain Clark waved his wand to run out the gangplank, the man handed a coin to the lad who'd called the boat for him. _Probably a squib_, the captain thought as he watched the man lug his battered leather suitcase up the gangplank. It appeared to be quite heavy. A brown and black cat with large yellow eyes trotted in front him.

Cosmo's ears stood up, his eyes popped open, and his tail quivered. _"Wow!"_ he thought, _What a beauty!"_ as the breeze brought him the scent of Mrs Norris. _"I think I'm in love! In fact, I know I am!"_

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry and Ron got out of the taxi not far from the old warehouse that held the Knight Lines office. "I'll never understand muggle money," Ron said. "Thanks for taking care of it. I mean, I know the driver thought I was a bit strange, but you didn't have to tell him I was an American."

"Well, it seemed to explain why you couldn't figure out the currency," Harry said. "But you're right. There's no reason for us to go around catching Knight Boats at random until we find the right one. If we're going to be Aurors, we should conduct a proper investigation."

"Exactly. So don't forget the cover story."

They walked around to the back of the building and used a charm to reveal the door. Inside a group of middle-aged wizards was seated at desks, busily writing on scrolls. Stacks of shipping crates filled the rest of the warehouse behind them.

Ron wanted to look important, so he did his best imitation of Percy. He walked up to the front counter, cleared his throat, and rang the bell impatiently.

A thin wizard with a receding hairline looked up from his work and asked, "Can I help you?"

"We're from the Auror Department, and we want to talk to someone about Knight Boat schedules," Ron said officiously.

"That would be me." The man's nametag said 'Flushwell'. He didn't seem particularly impressed by Ron, but fortunately he didn't ask to see their identification.

"One of your boats picked up some animals from an island off Scotland for us a few weeks ago," Harry said. "Could you tell us which boat that was?"

"That would Number Six," Mr Flushwell said. "Their home port is Baltimore. That's in America, you know," he added. He looked annoyed. "What has that bunch of irresponsible good-for-nothings done this time?"

"Oh, they haven't done anything wrong," Harry assured him. "We believe a small magical creature escaped then, and we're trying to track it down. We think it might have stowed away on that boat. Can you tell us where Number Six has been, and where it might be going?"

"Where _she's_ going," Flushwell said, looking even more annoyed. "Ships are always referred to as 'she'." He took a scroll out of a rack and waved his wand over it to make a copy. "This might not be complete or accurate. That bunch on Number Six is the absolute worst when it comes to completing their paperwork properly." He shook his head as he handed it to them. "Hopeless, the lot of them. Do you want me to contact them and tell them you're looking for them?"

"No, that's okay, we'll handle it," Harry said quickly. "Thanks for your help," he added as they headed for the door.

When they got outside, a light rain was falling, and Harry cast _Impervius_ to keep the scroll dry. Ron conjured two umbrellas.

"So what does it say?" Ron asked.

"Let's see." Unrolling the scroll, Harry read, "North Wales, Melbourne, an unpronounceable place in China, Borneo, Manaus, Lake Tanganyika, Lisbon, Acapulco, Baltimore, Pittsburgh … There's no pattern to it."

"There wouldn't be a pattern," Ron observed. "Knight Boats are like Knight Busses. They go where they're called, or where they're needed. Does it say anything about where they might be going?"

Harry read down the scroll until he reached the end. "Yes! Here at the bottom, it says they're expected to make a pick-up at the Southern Academy of Magic soon." Harry smiled. "Do you think we can get a portkey to New Orleans?"

Ron looked pained. "Probably," he said.


	26. Chapter 26: Whack-A-Mole

**Chapter 26: Whack-A-Mole**

Severus was back in the Potions classroom at Hogwarts. Draco was there. So were the Weasley twins, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, all seated at their desks, waiting. Severus wasn't sure if he was supposed to be a student or the teacher, but he knew he was late. He felt lost. He opened a supply cabinet and was shocked to find a tiny werewolf staring out at him. Its little black eyes burned with hate and it wrinkled its ugly snout, exposing its yellow fangs. He slammed the door shut and there was flash of silver light.

He woke up suddenly as another flash lit his room. _It must be the Ghoul Busters casting their patronuses_, he realized as the sleepiness vanished from his mind. _ They're 'busting' Dementors - or trying to._

He looked out the window. The swamps were dark and quiet for a moment, and then there were a few more flashes. _I'd better find out what's going on_, he thought.

He had just finished dressing when there was a knock on his door. He opened it to a find a very agitated Mr Cohen. "I'm waking the staff because we need to protect the children," the Principal told him. "We're gathering in the dining hall. The Ghoul Busters seem to have stirred up quite a hornets' nest out there. There's a battle going on in the swamp, and I'm worried that it could spill over into the school area. We'll have to evacuate the students. I'd rather err on the side of caution than have a tragedy." He then hurried off down the hall.

Fawkes was still asleep on his perch, making soft little whistling noises. _Snoring, I suppose_, Severus thought. _Ridiculous creature! He's probably dreaming. I wonder what a phoenix dreams about? Well, I won't wake him. He'd only get up to some sort of mischief._ He conjured a cage around the perch, a tricky spell that he managed with ease, and then he covered the cage with a conjured cloth and floated it along to the dining hall.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Fawkes dreamed of the Ancient Ancestors who had ruled the world long before the first phoenix was hatched. They were strangely beautiful, graceful creatures that the muggles called by awkward names like Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis. He watched them in his dream. Some soared through the skies, some were flightless and, shockingly, many of them had teeth, but all of them were covered with beautiful feathers, just like today's birds. Fawkes knew they had all been destroyed by the wrath of the sky gods a long time ago. It made him sad to think of it.

An Archaeopteryx flew past and winked at Fawkes. _Carry on, little brother!_ he sang.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

When Severus reached the dining hall, Cohen and Armstrong were already there, and the rest of the staff were pouring in. "I need most of you to wake the children, organize them into groups, and escort them to New Orleans," Cohen announced. "We need to get them out, just in case some of those things get past the Agents. Use the Emergency Floo; it's big and powerful enough to take groups of up to ten all the way there. Now get going!

Then he turned to Armstrong. "If you and your group are willing," Cohen said, "I'd like you to stand guard on the wall, in case any of those things approach. You'll be our last line of defense."

"We're ready," Armstrong said, looking at the others. "Let's go!"

"Look after Fawkes for me," Severus said to Cohen. He floated the covered cage with the still-sleeping phoenix over into a quiet corner, and then he apparated with Armstrong. The two of them appeared on top of the wall nearest to the battle area. Kat and Angie were already there, and somewhat to Severus's surprise, Saunders was there, too.

"So what happens now?" Kat asked.

"We wait," said Angie, staring out into the darkness.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"So where are you heading?" Seabiscuit asked as Argus Filch took a seat in the mess.

Filch poured himself a mug of tea. "America", he replied.

"Where in America?" Biscuit asked, just to make conversation.

"I haven't decided yet," Filch said irritably. He reached for the sugar.

"Well, I'd recommend a stop in Baltimore," Biscuit said. "My cousin works for the Wizard Immigration Assistance Agency there. They can help you get proper identification – the muggles are very uptight about illegal immigrants these days – and they'll point you toward the various wizarding groups and communities. They have programs to help people get settled, and they have programs for squibs who …"

"I am NOT a squib!" Argus shouted.

_Oops_, thought Biscuit, _I guess I hit a nerve there_. "Of course not," he said quickly. "I just meant that they have programs for everyone there, no matter who or what they are."

"Hrummph," said Filch.

Biscuit left the man grumbling to himself and went back into the galley. He was in the midst of making vegetable soup when the silence was broken by a distant yelp.

"My cat!" Filch cried. "Something's happened to my cat!" He jumped up and ran off to find her.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Mrs Norris yelped in surprise when she spotted Cosmo, the ship's kneazle, watching her from behind a sack of mail.

_Hi there, beautiful_, he purred as he crept out of his hiding place and sauntered across the floor. _What's a nice gal like you doin' on a boat like this?_

Mrs Norris scowled. _The nerve of that big orange kneazle!_ she thought. _Who does he think he is, giving me a corny old pick-up line like that?_ She looked him over with her big yellow eyes. _He does have lovely fur and nice green eyes, though. Those black tufts on his ears and tail are kind of classy, too. Must be a pureblood. Well, I'll show him a thing or two!_ When he got close enough, she gave a mighty hiss and swatted him upside the head, knocking him head over heels and ripping his ear.

_Wow! Whatta woman!_ Cosmo thought, shaking his head as he righted himself. He puffed himself up and started yodeling loudly. She answered him with a long, drawn out howl.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"So do you think the Ghoul Busters can handle them?" Kat asked after a while.

"Probably," said Angie. "The Busters are kind of … insensitive, I guess you might say. They're really thick, actually; nothing gets to them. It's one of the fundamental requirements for joining them." She thought for a moment. "Maybe that's why most of them are men."

Kat gave her a look. "Ha ha, very funny – not!" he said.

"There is some evidence that being incredibly obtuse and thick-headed can help one resist Dementors," Severus said, remembering Sirius Black's sojourn in Azkaban for a moment. "However, it probably does not help one cast a strong patronus."

Angie scoffed. "I'm sure the Busters all have extremely powerful patronuses. Things like lions and tigers and bears."

"I hope you're right," Armstrong said.

"The Dementors may be smarter than we think," Severus said. "I've heard that Dementors always flee before a patronus. However, if they scatter instead, then some of them could double back."

"You mean that, while the Busters' patronuses are busy attacking some of them, the rest could be heading back here?" Angie asked.

"Precisely," said Severus. "The Dementor that encountered those two girls last night, Darkness and Mysteria, or whatever their names are, was probably doing exactly that."

Armstrong increased the light from his wand. "Dementors are sooty black, and it's going to be hard to spot them in the dark. They could be on us before we know it."

Severus nodded, remembering the one that had sneaked up on him the previous night.

"I'll fix that," Angie said, and she cast _Dementorem Revelio_. "There's one!" she cried. "Over there, to the left! _Expecto patronum!_" A silver streak sprang from her wand and sped after the Dementor. "The rest of you hold back! There may be more!"

And indeed there were. It wasn't long before their charms revealed at least four more hiding in the dark.

"_Expecto patronum!_" cried Armstrong and Kat, and silver streaks flashed from their wands and flew toward the shadowy creatures.

Severus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and remembered how good it felt to be alive. Then he called out, "_Expecto patronum!_" and his patronus sped after the others.

Saunders was the last one to cast. His voice quivered and his patronus failed to materialize, so Severus wasn't surprised when the young Agent apparated away right afterward. With their patronuses gone, they were completely vulnerable. There was nothing to stop any Dementors that managed to dodge the patronuses. Not only were they unprotected, but so was the school. If any of the monsters got past them, they could get inside.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Inside the school, the evacuation was not going well. The staff didn't want to send the children unescorted, and there weren't enough teachers for every group, so after delivering a group, the teacher would have to come back for another. This had caused a major traffic jam at the floo.

"Be careful coming back – don't get in the way of outgoing groups!" Mr Cohen kept shouting, but it was no use. He watched helplessly as an incoming Ms Larose collided with Ms Brewster and an outgoing group. They all ended up in a heap on the floor, but the older boys didn't seem to mind too much. Most of them were quite enamored of the majestic Divination teacher.

"Boys are such morons," Mysteria said, rolling her eyes, "and so are teachers!"

"Hey, look," Darkness said, "I think that's Fawksie, asleep in that cage in the corner. He doesn't know what's going on."

"Well, I can fix that," Mysteria said. Leaving her place in line, she fished around in her backpack and came up with a packet of chocolate-covered coffee beans. She uncovered the cage, opened its door, and held some beans under Fawkes's beak. "Wakey wakey, pretty birdie," she crooned, "I've got some yummy treats for you!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Contrary to Angie's expectations, the Ghoul Busters were having a rough time of it in the swamp. Even the toughest of them could feel the effects of the Dementors. Irrational fears began to creep into their minds, and it became difficult for them to think clearly. Their patronuses started to weaken.

Their captain took a deep breath and reminded himself to stay calm. "Keep thinking good thoughts to keep yourselves strong!" he ordered. "And keep your patronuses out there until all of those monsters have been destroyed!"

He turned to see a Dementor closing in on his sergeant, who was leaning on a tree and vomiting. He thought of his parents, visualizing their smiling faces with all his might, and he waved his wand to recall his patronus. His silver boar responded and came charging back to gore the Dementor with its tusks.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus and his companions watched tensely as their patronuses zigzagged through the trees. The silver creatures would gang up on one of the Dementors and try to destroy it, but then they'd suddenly be distracted by another. It reminded Kat of the muggle game called Whack-A-Mole.

"Is it my imagination, or is the light from the Busters' patronuses getting weaker?" Armstrong asked, peering off into the distance.

"So it would appear," Severus said grimly. "We could use a backup plan." In the worst case, he knew he could cast Fiendfyre on the monsters, but that would be an act of last resort. He wasn't certain that he could control the flames. It wasn't the sort of curse that one practiced, after all; it was far too dangerous. The Carrows had been insane to even mention it to the Hogwarts students. He could only hope that Cohen was almost finished evacuating the students.

Suddenly there was a loud 'crack' and Saunders appeared beside him. "Now what?" Severus started to growl, but the young Agent grabbed him and apparated away, taking Severus along with him.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Fawkes happily gobbled down Mysteria's coffee beans, and then he looked around as the caffeine took hold and his sleepiness faded away. _What?_ he wondered. _It seems to be the middle of the night. What is everyone doing? Have they all gone crazy? These fledglings should be asleep now! So should I! And where is my wizard? What's going on here?_

"The Dementor-things are back, Fawkes," Mysteria told him. "We've got to get out of here." She pointed at the floo. Mr Griffin, the magical creatures expert, had just tried to leave with a group of twelve, having failed to count them accurately in the confusion, and purple smoke was pouring out of the overworked floo. Mr Cohen was frantically casting spells at it, trying to get it back into working order.

The phoenix didn't understand the girl's words, but he could sense the danger. He shrieked, took off, and flew straight through the nearest window, leaving a phoenix-shaped hole in the glass.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

When they landed, Severus grabbed Saunders by the throat and slammed him up against the nearest wall. "You sniveling coward!" he snarled. "I should break your useless neck!"

"No! Listen!" Saunders managed to croak. "I need your help!"

"It's the _students_ who need my help, not _you_!" he said, flinging Saunders to the floor.

He turned to apparate back to the others, but Saunders grabbed his leg and screamed, "I KNOW HOW TO STOP THEM!"

Severus hesitated and, for the first time, he looked around. They were in some kind of windowless wooden shack lit by a kerosene lantern that sat in one corner. An ominous-looking symbol that he'd never seen before was drawn in the center of the dirt floor, surrounded by a circle of black candles. There was also a bowl of what looked like blood, along with some smaller bowls that held powders, herbs, bones, and pickled monstrosities.

"I know a spell that should weaken them so they'll be easy to destroy," Saunders groaned. "I saw it done once, to some other … things. I tried to cast it, but I'm not strong enough to do it alone. I need help."

Saunders was bleeding from one wrist, and Severus realized that the blood in the bowl must be his. He was also bleeding from his nose, but Severus had caused that when he'd thrown the young Agent to the floor.

"Let go of my leg and pull yourself together!" Severus snapped. He pulled a vial of blood-replenishing potion from a pouch on his belt and tossed it to Saunders. "There's no time to waste."

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"You fat orange furball!" Seabiscuit said as he picked up the kneazle. "Whaddya think this is, the Love Boat?"

Cosmo smiled back at Mrs Norris as the cook carried him off. _See ya later, Sweetie_, he purred.

"Lock him up somewhere!" Filch fumed.

Mrs Norris glanced toward the cargo hold and waved her tail. _After midnight, then, Big Fella_, she purred.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Listen, Harry," Ron said, "this trip is going to take more than one day, whether we find Snape or not, so we can't leave until after Auror training on Friday night. And we don't want to arrive in New Orleans in the middle of the night, so we might as well wait until Saturday morning, after breakfast." He was using every excuse that he could think of, desperately trying to delay their trip in the hope that Harry would somehow come to his senses and lose interest in finding Snape.

"No," said Harry, "there's a time difference that will work in our favor. It's several hours earlier there than it is here."

"Really?" Ron asked. He hadn't paid much attention in Astronomy class, and he'd never given much thought to the Earth's rotation.

"It's true," Harry told him. "If it's early evening here, it should be mid-afternoon there, I think." He wasn't too clear on the details, either. "Tomorrow is Friday, so we can leave right after training."

Ron sighed. He was running out of plausible excuses. It wasn't that he didn't want to go to New Orleans; that part sounded like fun. But what if they actually found Snape?

_Well, how bad could that really be?_ Ron asked himself. _ Sure, Snape can be pretty scary sometimes, but he's not Voldemort. He won't do anything _lethal_. And there won't be any acromantulas there, or basilisks, or Dementors, or anything like that. No, there's no reason to be too worried._


	27. Chapter 27: The Search for Snape

**Chapter 27: The Search for Snape**

After Auror training had ended for the week, Harry and Ron had managed to get to Gringotts and take out some money just before closing time. Then they hurried to the London portkey office where they each bought a return trip to New Orleans. Ron was a bit shocked at the price.

"Hey, wait a minute," Ron said. "We should have brought our brooms. We're going to need some way to get around when we get there."

"We could rent some," Harry observed. "There must be a broom rental place there."

"Rental brooms are probably crummy," Ron said. _And costly_, he thought. _I don't want to spend any more on this crazy project than I have to_. Ron was far from wealthy, after all. "We'd better go home and get our own."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry agreed. If there was one thing that Harry was fussy about, it was brooms, and the thought of riding an inferior broom didn't appeal to him at all. "I suppose we ought to pack a change of clothes, too."

"Look, it's already pretty late," Ron said. "Let's both go home and pack our brooms and stuff, get some sleep, and meet in the morning." He wasn't eager to go searching for Snape, after all. He'd much prefer a good night's sleep. With luck, maybe Harry might even oversleep.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_Where has my wizard gone, and what is he up to?_ Fawkes wondered as he flew through the window of the Southern Academy of Magic and into the dark sky. _And why can't wizards restrict their misadventures to daytime? This guy's almost as bad as Albus was. A phoenix just can't get a good night's sleep anymore._

_It's surprisingly cold tonight,_ he realized_. Freezing cold, in fact. And where did all this fog come from? This can't be natural! I can feel the evil. It's those horrible soul-suckers again! I'm going in for a closer look. Severus will just have to look after himself for a little while._

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Where did they go?" Kat asked. He was more than a little bit upset. "What has that idiot Saunders done now? What did he do with Slade?"

"I have no idea!" Angie shot back defensively. "He just appeared, grabbed Slade, and apparated away with him."

"This is no time to argue!" Armstrong interjected. "The dementors are still out there, in case you've forgotten. We can search for our friends later, but for now we'll just have to carry on without them. We have to guard the school until they finish evacuating the students. We're their last line of defense."

"Yeah," Kat agreed, "but the dementors haven't even come near us yet, and already we've lost two wizards."

"Well, the Ghoul Busters are still out there, so we probably don't have to worry," Angie told him. "I'm sure they can handle the dementors on their own."

"I hope you're right," Armstrong said, although he had his doubts. He knew that the dementors were causing the unnatural cold, and the cold had generated the fog. He couldn't see the dementors anymore, but he knew they were out there.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Saunders knelt on the dirt floor in front of the strange symbol. "Just kneel opposite me, Mr Slade, and try to focus your mind on my chanting. I don't know what the words mean, and I hope I never find out, but the spell should siphon power away from the dementors and weaken them."

"This had better work," Severus growled. Holding his wand ready, he took his place on the other side of the symbol, between a vase of ugly black flowers and a small pile of bones.

"I saw it done once, and it worked on things that were even more dreadful than those dementors," Saunders said shyly. He didn't mention what had happened after that, though.

_He saw it done once?_ Severus wondered. _I wonder if this kid knows what he's doing?_ He had a nasty suspicion that there was something that the young wizard wasn't telling him.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I think they're weakening," the captain of the Ghoul Busters said as he watched his patronus chasing after a dementor.

"You mean our patronuses?" asked his sergeant. "Yeah, they're getting pretty dim."

"No, you idiot! I mean the dementors! They're getting sort of twitchy."

"It doesn't matter," said the sergeant. He looked lost. "There's no point. There's no point to anything. It's all meaningless."

"You're letting 'em get to you, man!" the captain warned. "Shape up! This is no time for an existential crisis!"

But the sergeant just stood there, staring into the distance.

Then they heard a musical cry above them.

"Look!" cried the captain. "Up in the sky! It's a bird!"

"It's a phoenix!" said the sergeant, as he spotted Fawkes through the swirling mist. His eyes lit up with happiness.

The others must have seen him too, because the patronuses started to glow very brightly.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry arrived at the Burrow at dawn to meet up with Ron. Unfortunately for him, Molly Weasley was already awake. "I'm surprised to see the two of you up so early on a weekend," she said. "I would have had breakfast ready if I had known. By the way, _where_ are the two of you going?"

"We're going to Scotland for some special Auror training sessions," Harry lied. "You remember when we did that before, and we helped capture those Death Eaters and rescue those animals? We'll be back in a few days. We're not sure exactly how long it's going to take."

"You must remember to tell me these things!" she scolded. "You know how I worry." She glanced at the family clock: Fred's arm had vanished after the battle, but a new one had been added for Harry. There was no arm for Hermione, but maybe that would come later.

"Hi, mom!" Ron said as he came down the stairs carrying his broom and his backpack. "What's for breakfast?"

"Oh, we don't have time for that," Harry said quickly. "We have to get going."

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's enough time," Ron said, smiling at his mom. He was happy for any excuse to delay their departure, and as far as he was concerned, a hot breakfast would be a great improvement over searching for Snape.

"I'm going to cook you a little breakfast and I don't want any arguments!" Molly announced. "Now go sit down at the table. I won't be long."

Harry sighed and took a seat.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Fawkes watched in amazement, along with the Ghoul Busters and the patronuses. "What do you make of that?" the captain asked, but no one could answer him. The nearby dementors were twitching and writhing. Their shrouds had begun to dissolve, revealing their gelatinous grey ectoplasm, and as the souls that they had consumed broke free and streamed upward, the dementors became nothing more than grey shadows. Then they began to move away, all of them heading toward some unknown destination as if drawn by a magnet.

Although he was tempted to start picking off the stragglers, Fawkes knew that something was seriously wrong. _I'd better follow them. There's some sort of terrible power pulling them away, something terribly dangerous, and I need to find out what it is._

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Saunders had been chanting for quite a while, although it sounded more like chattering than chanting. He'd gone into a trance, and his voice rose higher and higher until it no longer sounded human. He kept repeating the same short phrase over and over again, and it was incredibly irritating, like claws being scratched across a chalkboard.

Foul smells rose from the things in the bowls and mingled with the smoke from the kerosene lamp. Severus felt nauseous and he had difficulty focusing on the chant. Then he heard a high-pitched chittering noise that seemed to be coming from inside the walls, and he looked up. Grey shadows were marching across the walls toward the darkness at the far end of the shack. It made his skin crawl.

_I've never seen anything like this before_, he thought, _but it reminds me of a spell that I read about once in an ancient book. It opened the gateway to another world that was ruled by ancient beings. They consumed magical energy and dark magic, and anything else that they happened to desire. They may be consuming the power of the dementors now, but such beings are never satisfied. We've awakened them, and soon they'll want more._

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. The shack seemed to be distorted somehow, in ways that didn't make sense. _I must be hallucinating_, he thought, _or maybe I'm going mad_. Everything seemed to be twisting, and the far end of the shack seemed to go on forever. The shadows continued to march toward it as though they were being sucked into the void.

_At least nothing's coming out of there_," Severus thought. _Not yet, anyway. Saunders had better know how to stop this spell, and he'd better do it soon._

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry and Ron got to the London portkey office much later than Harry had planned, thanks to Molly's 'little' breakfast, and after a transfer in New York they stepped out of the portkey office in Rue Magique carrying their brooms and backpacks.

"See," Harry said, "it's still dark here. I told you there was a time difference."

"Oh, I wouldn't have noticed that if you hadn't pointed it out," Ron said.

Harry laughed. "Let's get going. Maybe we can get to the Southern Academy in time for a second breakfast."

"Another breakfast? Good idea, that." Ron was still stuffed with his first breakfast, but he knew that wouldn't last. "Do you know how to get there?"

"We'll fly down the river to the coast, and then follow the coast until we detect magic," Harry said. "We can use that variation of the Underage Magic detection spell that we learned last month in Auror training."

"Sounds good," Ron said, as he mounted his broom. "Let's go then. Breakfast awaits!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Welcome to the Bayou Quidditch Dome, home of the Gulf Coast Griffins!" Mayor Finley announced to the assembled students and teachers. "Y'all just make yourselves at home while we conjure up some cots and blankets for ya." The evacuation of the Southern Academy of Magic had been completed and a temporary shelter was being set up in the stadium to house everyone.

"It's a good thing you brought 'em here early, before the hurricane gets any closer," Finley whispered to Mr Cohen. "That was good thinkin'! We don't want to take any chances with the kids."

"The hurricane?" asked Cohen. "You mean Hurricane Georges? I thought that was supposed to hit Florida."

"No, didn't ya'll hear about that? It hit the Florida Keys all right, but then it kinda glanced off and headed northwest. It looks like it's headin' for us now. The muggles are startin' to evacuate parts of the city."

"Oy!" said Cohen. "No, we hadn't heard. We were busy with a different kind of problem. I'd better get back to the school, organize the house elves, and start strengthening our flood-protection charms! Brewster, you're in charge here!" Then he dashed for the floo in the stadium office.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"We must be getting close," Harry shouted. They'd been flying for more than an hour. "I'm detecting strong magic coming from that fog bank." He could see some sort of faint silvery light moving inside the fog, too. It winked out occasionally, and then after a few moments it would reappear.

Ron flew closer, holding his hand to his ear to indicate that he couldn't hear. There was a very strong wind blowing from the sea, and it swept their words away. Harry tried shouting louder and then he tried the Sonorus spell, but it was hopeless and Ron gestured that they should land. They descended into a small clearing at the edge of the fog.

"It looks pretty sinister," Ron said. "Just because there's magic there, it doesn't mean that we've found the school. It could be something else." _Something dangerous_.

"It's probably the school" Harry said confidently. "I'll bet they use the fog to hide the place. It must be a magic fog, after all, or it would be blown away by all this wind. There must be muggle-repelling spells on it to make it seem sinister, too."

Ron was skeptical. "It seems sinister because it's a dark swamp with weird, moss-covered trees looming over everything. And that fog is really thick. It's going to be impossible to see your hand in front of your face in there, even with _Lumos_. How are we supposed to fly through that?"

"We aren't," Harry declared. "We'll walk. It can't be much farther."

"You're kidding! It's a magical swamp! It's probably full of all sorts of dreadful things, like hungry man-eating plants and poisonous lizagators and bottomless quicksand." _And spiders! Lots of spiders! Big ones!_ "Why don't we wait until the sun comes up and the fog burns off?"

"If it's a magical fog, it won't burn off." Harry said, shouldering his broom. "I'm going in. You can go back if you want."

"No, I'm with you," Ron said quickly as he fell in beside Harry. "I just think that we'd better be careful, that's all." _Very careful!_

It proved to be slow going. The fog swirled around them, gusts of wind shook the trees, and the two young wizards couldn't see farther than a few yards in any direction. There was almost no dry ground and it was surprisingly cold. Ice crystals sparkled in the air.

"I thought it wasn't supposed to get cold around here," Ron complained as they sloshed through some ankle-deep muck. "It was hot enough in New Orleans. Maybe I should transfigure a coat." He was starting to feel despondent. His thoughts turned to Hermione and how much he loved her. _I don't know why Hermione loves me. She probably doesn't_, he thought. _Not really. She just thinks she does, because of everything we went through together. She'll probably come to her senses soon. I'm not worthy of her._

Harry was lost in his own thoughts, too. _I'm not really the hero that everybody thinks I am. It was my mom's sacrifice that defeated Voldemort. And Professor Dumbledore's plan, and all the help from my friends. They're the real heroes. And Snape. He protected me and saved my life, even though he hated me. Snape_ ...

He imagined Snape sneering at him. "You never figured it out, did you, you clueless moron?" the imaginary Snape said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You were just a pawn, a weapon to be used against the Dark Lord. The least you could have done was pay attention and cooperate, but no, you always knew better. You endangered yourself and your idiot friends repeatedly. You even got your useless godfather killed. It was a miracle that I was able to keep you alive all those years, and then you walked off and left me dying in that filthy shack. I knew you were a lazy, incompetent, rude little brat the first day I saw you, and you proved I was right, time after time."

"No!" Harry shouted. "You were wrong about me! I was brave! I was willing to go to my death!"

"What?" said Ron, who was startled out of his brooding. Then he saw the dementor right in front of them. Its shroud was hanging off it in tattered ribbons and it was twitching a bit, but it was still dangerous. Its huge, gaping mouth was lined with rings of wicked-looking curved teeth, just like the sucker-mouth of a lamprey, and beyond the teeth its throat disappeared into darkness.

"Ack!" Ron cried. He jumped back, thought of Hermione, and pointed his wand at the thing. "_Expecto patronum_!" His patronus appeared in a silver flash.

That brought Harry to his senses, but before he could bring up his wand, the dementor had fled.

"I … I think it's gone," Ron said as his silver terrier returned. "I've never been so close to one before. I could even smell it." He almost gagged as he remembered the stench. "I feel terrible, like I'm all cold inside and I'll never be warm or happy again."

"That's what they do to you," Harry agreed. He was shaken, too. Dementors had always unnerved him. "They make all your doubts and fears and worst memories bubble up in your mind, until they overwhelm you. They thrive on pain and fear. We're lucky you realized what was happening. Thanks, mate."

"You're welcome." Ron looked around nervously. "I didn't know they had dementors over here in the States. Let's get out of here before it comes back."

"Wait a minute," said Harry. He had to raise his voice a bit so he could be heard over the wind. "That silver light I saw before we landed must have been a patronus! Let's go find it, and it'll lead us to the school. Come on, I think I saw a glow over there."

Ron clutched his wand tightly. The wind was whipping up the water in the swamp and a clump of wet moss blew past his head. "I hope you're right," he said. "We'd better hurry, though. I think there's a storm coming."

_I must be out of my mind_, Ron thought as they set off toward the glow that Harry had seen. _I spend too much money, get up too early in the morning, travel to the other side of the world, wander around in a freezing fog, face a dementor, and for what? To find Snape?_ He grimaced. _With my luck, we might actually find the miserable git, too._

**A/N:** The eye of Hurricane Georges reached the Gulf Coast east of New Orleans on 28 September, 1998.


	28. Chapter 28: Stormy Weather

**Chapter 28: Stormy Weather**

**A/N:** _Most of the rock opera segment was created by_ Very Small Prophet. _We hope you enjoy it. And our apologies to_ The Who.

"What are you two doing out here?" the captain shouted as Harry and Ron sloshed toward the Ghoul Busters. The water level in the swamp had risen several feet and the Impervious charm couldn't stop the driving rain. Everyone was being soaked and battered by the wind.

"We're looking for the Southern Academy of Magic," Harry called back.

"In the middle of a hurricane?" The captain was astounded.

"Is that what this is?" Harry asked.

_Blockhead!_ the captain thought. "Come with us! We've gotta get out of here." He motioned to his men. "Back to the school! This storm is going to get worse before it gets better!"

"I'll help you take these guys side-along," said the sergeant, taking Ron by the arm.

"Tourists! I hate tourists!" the captain muttered as he took hold of Harry.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_Even a phoenix has his limits_, Fawkes thought as he struggled to stay on course. He knew he was fighting a hurricane. He'd seen these huge storms before and he recognized the situation. Rain was coming at him horizontally, driven by a wind that was getting stronger by the moment. Below him trees were being uprooted and tossed into the rising water, and the ones that still stood were thrashing wildly as the storm stripped them of their leaves and branches.

The shadowy dementors had melted away, and Fawkes was following his instincts, trying to home in on the source of the evil. _I'm on the right track_, he thought as he saw a rundown wooden shack ahead, surrounded by floodwater. _This must be it. I can feel it._

He blinked the rain out of his eyes. _Stupid wizards!_ he muttered. _I don't know why I put up with them! This is insane!_

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

A tentacle emerged from the darkness at the far end of the shack. Its tip was split into three oppositely arranged 'fingers' surrounding a single red eye. Severus's blood ran cold.

"Saunders!" he yelled as the thing started groping about in the far end of the shack. "End this spell! End it _now_!"

"Well, that's sort of a problem, sir," the young wizard said.

_Sweet Merlin!_ Severus thought. "What do you mean? Whatever is there in the darkness is even worse than the dementors. Far worse. You've got to close that gateway _now_!"

"That's why I needed you to come along," Saunders said quietly. "It … well, I'm not sure exactly how to put this …"

"Just spit it out! We haven't got all night!"

The tentacle was exploring the roof rafters.

"Well, if things get out of control, like they obviously have, in order to close and seal the gateway, I'm afraid that a human sacrifice is required."

There was a moment of silence as Severus simply stared at the young wizard. "You're planning to _sacrifice_ me?" he finally asked.

"Oh, no sir!" Saunders said quickly. "Of course not! I could never do something like _that_! I need _you_ to sacrifice _me_."

Severus was horrified. "What … what kind of monster do you people think I am?" he stammered. Then he began to shout. "Nobody wants to get their hands dirty! No, you're all too good for that sort of thing! 'We'll just make Snape do it,' they say. 'There's no hope for him anyway; there never has been. A bit more blood on his hands won't matter. A few more rips in his soul? Who cares, as long as _we_ stay squeaky clean?'"

Saunders cringed. He had no idea what Severus was raving about.

"I won't do it! Not this time! Not again!" Severus shouted as a vision of Albus clinging to the Astronomy Tower flashed into his mind. _"Severus,_ please_," the old wizard begged._

Red-hot fury surged through Severus and he put it to good use. He whirled around and, pouring all of his rage into the spell, he pointed his wand at the far end of the shack and screamed "_Demonorum ignis_!" A torrent of Fiendfyre shot into the darkness like napalm from a muggle flamethrower. The tentacle jerked back and unseen things began to scream. Then the shack exploded.

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Hurry! Hurry!" the elf called when she saw Kat, Angie and Armstrong fighting their way toward the gate. She created a small opening in the school's protective spell and they dashed through it quickly.

It was dry and quiet in the schoolyard except for the water that had sprayed through while the spell was open, but they could see the storm raging outside. The spell enclosed the area like a transparent dome, holding back the floodwater and deflecting the rain and flying debris.

"Are Slade and Saunders back yet?" Kat asked as he wiped the water from his face.

"Or the Ghoul Busters?" Angie added.

"See there," the elf squeaked, pointing out into the storm. "Busters are coming now. You go inside. Elves will stay and wait for others!"

XXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

_Birdcrap!_ Fawkes thought as the flaming debris flew past him. _It exploded!_

He could see the smoking wreckage of the shack a short distance ahead of him. The roof was gone and there wasn't much left of the walls, either.

Swooping lower, he saw Severus sprawled facedown on the charred floorboards. Saunders knelt by his side while the storm howled around them, tearing at the remains of the shack.

Fawkes landed beside them. _Is my wizard dead?_ the bird wondered. _Oh no! No!_ But when he looked closely, Fawkes could see that Severus was still breathing. He was unconscious, though, and Fawkes couldn't tell how badly injured he was.

Saunders was woozy from the explosion, but he was trying his best to help Severus. "I've got to get him back to the school," Saunders groaned as he struggled to lift him. "I've got to apparate!"

_He'll never make it_, Fawkes knew. _He's in no condition to do it. He'll splinch them both!_

Fawkes sprang up and grabbed the two wizards with his claws – there was no time to gentle about it. He hauled them into the air and started flapping toward the school with all his might. _At least I have a tailwind going this direction_, he thought as he flew off through the storm.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry and Ron used drying spells on themselves and then accompanied the Ghoul Busters to the dining hall, where the elves had mugs of hot chocolate waiting for everyone.

"So _why_ are you here in the middle of a hurricane?" the captain asked. He had a good mind to give them a lecture about how dangerous hurricanes are, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. It had been a very long night, and he was tired.

"We're looking for someone," Harry told him. "One of our former teachers. We have a picture." He pulled a soggy, rolled-up photo from an outside pocket of his backpack and dried it with a spell. "Here. Have you seen this guy?"

The picture had been cut out of the _Daily Prophet_. It showed Severus as Headmaster, standing at the lectern in the Great Hall, apparently addressing the students. He looked tired, bedraggled, and very annoyed.

The captain took the photo, looked at it, and handed it back. "Nope," he said. He'd been introduced to Angie's group, including Severus, at the picnic, but he'd been way too concerned about the dementors to really notice any of them. "Try asking the principal," he said, pointing to Mr Cohen,

"Yeah, I'll do that," Harry said, and he wandered over to Cohen, but the principal was busy talking to Armstrong.

"I'm going to install a second high-capacity floo," Cohen was saying, "and from now on we're going to hold an evacuation drill at the start of every school year. I'm not going to let us get caught like this again!"

"Get another small floo, too, to handle anyone coming back against the flow," Armstrong suggested.

"Harry! Breakfast is here!" Ron called. "The elves are bringing it out now!"

Harry suddenly realized that he was starved. The long flight, the swamp, and the storm had used up all of his reserves, not to mention the experience with the dementor. He dumped his soggy backpack beside a potted palm and hurried to join Ron at the table.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Breakfast is served!" Mayor Finley announced to the sleepy students in the Bayou Quidditch Dome. Few of them had slept well. The conjured cots were not very comfortable, and other refugees from the storm kept arriving from time to time during the night, waking everyone up with their chatter.

"We've got breakfast burritos for y'all," he told them happily. The elves were too busy with storm protection to prepare breakfast, but someone had obtained a shipment of now-thawed frozen burritos that had been on their way to a muggle convenience store before the storm had intervened.

Jules Bulstrode had never experienced a burrito before, and he wasn't sure he was ready for one now. He eyed them warily and decided he wasn't hungry.

_"He's a Potions Genius, / There has to be a twist, / A potions genius, / Yes, he's the Half-Blood Prince."_

Bulstrode's head whipped round when he heard the badly-recorded music. Half-Blood Prince? That was Professor's Snape's pen-name from when he was a student; all Slytherin students knew about it, but no one else did. What was going on? He glanced over at Marigold Montague and cocked his head in the direction of the music; immediately the pair went in search of whoever had the recording. There was no need to say anything.

Four girls were gathered round a tape player, bouncing and swaying to the music. Jules recognized the two with the garish clothes and silly nicknames: One called herself Lady Darkness, of all crazy things, and the other one was Misty-something-or-other. He didn't know the other two.

Darkness spotted the two Slytherins and waved them over. "You have to hear this. It's brand new from England – a rock opera by this new group 'Parselmouth'."

"It's _totally_ brand new," the girl holding the tape recorder said proudly. "We recorded it live at a pub."

_"How do you think he does it? / I don't know! / What makes him so goo-ood?"_ blared from the machine.

"At a pub? What pub?" Jules managed to sound dubious despite having to yell over the music. Americans had places they called pubs, but they weren't really pubs, any more than American Quidditch was really Quidditch, no matter what name they gave this sports dome they were gathered in.

"Oh, you're English!" the girl said delightedly, hearing Jules's accent. "Our family was over there on vacation. It was, like, the best trip _ever!_ They were just done with a war or something, and everything was completely _insane!_"

"Right, it was," Marigold said grimly. Her brother was brain-damaged because of two of the "heroes" of that war. She was glad that at least one of those vicious, bullying Weasley twins was dead; she could wait to get the other one – years if necessary. "And you are…"

"Oh, yeah," said Mysteria, remembering that she needed to do introductions. "This is Madison Park and her sister Holly." Then she said to the American girls, "And this is Marilyn… uh…"

"Marigold Montague."

"Jules Bulstrode. You recorded this at a pub?" Jules indicated the still-blaring music, in which the phrase 'Half-Blood Prince' was regularly repeated. "Not the Leaky Cauldron?"

"No way!" said Madison. She turned down the music so they could hear each other. "That place was _bo_ring! They never had music there. It was at the Seven Stars in Hob Lane. York is, like, _totally_ cool."

Hob Lane, the wizarding business district in York, was every bit as ancient as Diagon Alley, but was much smaller. Including the bookstore (Odyssey Books, New and Used) that served as its entrance through a hidden backroom offering wizarding books, there were only half a dozen businesses. Rumor in Slytherin House held that eleven-year-old Severus Snape had found his ebony-and-manticore-spine wand while pawing through a jar of miscellaneous wands at Thursby's Discount Merchandise in Hob Lane.

Holly said, "We talked with their keyboard player, Tracey-something — "

"Davis," Jules said. Tracey Davis was in his sister's year, and used to jam with some of the older Slytherins, along with a Ravenclaw boy. They had called themselves 'Safari' – as in 'lion hunters' – but that was a Slytherin in-joke. 'Parselmouth' must be their public name; they would all be out of Hogwarts now.

"— and she said they were cutting a single — "

Madison interrupted her sister, "I can't _belieeeeve_ British wizards still record on vinyl! I mean, I know we can't use CDs and things because of magical interference, but —"

"You said it's from a rock opera?" Jules broke in, trying to get them back on track. They were complete dunderheads. Professor Snape would have eaten them alive.

"Yeah, it's called 'The Half-Blood Prince'." Jules and Marigold tried to avoid visibly cringing, while Madison kept right on talking. "They said it was a work in progress, but they wanted to release the title song for, you know, copyright? It's about this kid in school — you know that big school they have, Hogpits?"

"They _know!_" said Mysteria, rolling her eyes. "They _went_ there!"

"You did? That's _awesome!_ Is it true your potions teacher used to poison you?"

"Yes, he poisoned at least one of us each year to make sure we were paying attention to antidotes," Marigold said. "Usually a Gryffindork," she muttered under her breath. The thought gave her a warm, happy feeling.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I hope they're okay," Angie said as she and Kat stood in the schoolyard waiting for 'Slade' and Saunders to return. They'd refused to go inside despite the urging of the elves.

"Yeah, I … Hey, wait a minute, I think I see something out there!" Kat said. He was hoping it was Severus, but it turned out to be Doctor Proctor on his flying carpet. The old man and a companion were riding through the hurricane as smoothly as if it were a sunny day.

The elves opened the protective spell for him and the carpet landed gracefully in the schoolyard.

"I'm sure you remember my good wife, Arusha," Proctor said, as he stood up on the carpet and offered a helping hand to the tall, white-haired black lady by his side. She appeared to be almost as old as he was.

"We sure do!" said Angie, rushing to hug the woman.

"The policemen wanted us to evacuate, so we decided to come here for a visit," Arusha said. "We didn't want them to worry," she added. "They're such nice boys."

"I've learned how to handle hurricanes pretty well," Doc said. "I haven't figured out how to stop 'em or deflect 'em, but my protection spells are the best there is. We put everything important under a protective spell, including that Buick."

Arusha added, "We're gonna let our old house wash away, and we'll build a new one afterward. People would get suspicious if our place survived the storm, and we wouldn't want that."

"It's great to see you both," Kat said, noting that the two of them had passed through the storm without so much as getting wet. "Hey, Doc, maybe you could help us. Some of our friends are lost out there somewhere, and you seem to be able to fly through the storm. Maybe you could help us find them."

"Which way did your friends go?"

"I'm afraid we're not really sure," Angie said.

"Well, that does make it a bit difficult," the old wizard said thoughtfully. "I know a spell that might help, but –

"They is here!" called the elf. She opened the spell and Fawkes glided in with the two wizards held tightly in his claws. He deposited them on the ground as gently as he could.

_I'm wetter than a cormorant_, Fawkes thought as he shook the water off his wings.

"Why, thank you, Mr Phoenix!" Proctor said as he stooped to examine Severus and Saunders. Neither man was conscious and both were soaking wet. "I think these fellers are gonna be all right, but we'd better get 'em up to the infirmary straight away."

"But the nurse isn't here," Angie said. "She went with the students."

"Don't you worry," Arusha said. "I always carry my medical kit." She patted her colorful shoulder-bag. "We'll take care of 'em."

Kat opened the front door for Fawkes, who flew in and soared up the stairs. The others followed after him, levitating their two patients on conjured stretchers.

The commotion in the entryway caught Harry's attention as he was finishing his second breakfast. "What's going on there?" he asked as he saw the stretchers being brought in. "It looks like some people were hurt in the storm."

"Hurricanes are really destructive," Ron observed as took another cinnamon bun from a platter. "Let's go out and watch it for a while. We'll be safe enough inside the spell, and we might never get a better opportunity to see something like this."

"Right," said Harry, and he got up from the table. The search for Snape could wait for a few more minutes while they did some hurricane-watching.

His backpack, which lay forgotten against the wall, shifted slightly and the zipper started to slide open. Slowly, a fingertip poked out from inside. It hesitated for a moment, and then it cautiously pushed the zipper farther open. More fingers appeared, and then the entire hand-creature emerged. It hopped down and quickly scurried behind the potted palm.

**A/N:** _The song_ 'Potions Genius' _was inspired by_ 'Pinball Wizard', _which is the property of_ The Who _and others, and can be enjoyed on_ YouTube.

P.S._ My life will be very busy for the next week or two, so I may be slow to answer your reviews, but will get to them as time allows._


	29. Chapter 29: The Search Continues

**Chapter 29: The Search Continues**

**A/N:** The continuation of the rock opera subplot and several other bits were contributed by collaborator Very Small Prophet and are much appreciated.

**PS:** Sorry this chapter took so long, but life has been hectic. I'll try to do better, but no guarantees.

"_Any_ways…" Madison began again.

Marigold winced; that was ungrammatical even in American English.

"… the rock opera is about this kid, the Half-Blood Prince – he's not really a prince, he's kind of a geek. Not good-looking but _totally_ brilliant – a genius at potions like it says in the song, and he invents spells, too – but there are these four jocks – rich purebloods – who are always bullying him because they say half-bloods like him shouldn't exist …"

"You know, racists," said Holly, "like those neo-Nazis you people just had the war with. The Death-whatevers."

"Death Eaters," Marigold said.

"Yeah," Madison continued. "So these junior Death Eaters are always attacking him, like, four-to-one, and they can ambush him anywhere because they have this invisibility cloak and this magic map –"

"It's a universal surveillance tool, " Holly broke in. "Perfect for spies."

"– so there's nowhere to hide –"

Holly added, "Their keyboard player said she's working on a song called '_Nowhere to Hide_' but it's not finished yet."

Darkness asked, "Didn't you say they tried to feed him to a werewolf?"

Holly said, "It was an Animagus."

"It was a werewolf," said Madison. "There were Animaguses in it, but it was a werewolf they tried to feed him to."

"Animagi," Marigold murmured.

Madison continued, "But he invents this totally _awesome_ spell called 'Sever Forever' that works even against werewolves, and he's, like, cutting the werewolf to pieces when the Number One Bully shows up in his Animagus form and pretends to rescue him –"

"That's where the Animagus comes in," Holly said.

Her sister continued as if she hadn't spoken, "– so he can claim this _completely fake_ life debt –"

"You still have life debts in England?" Mysteria asked the two Slytherins. "Don't try it here. They're against the Constitution. It's in the Bill of Rights or something."

Jules wisely ignored the issue of American wizarding constitutional law. "Weren't the teachers or the headmaster doing anything while all this was going on?" He glanced at Marigold. They both had a pretty good idea what the teachers and headmaster were doing.

"The headmaster was on their side," said Holly. "The bullies, I mean. He let them get away with everything. He was one of those bigoted Death-guys, too, I guess."

"Oh, that wasn't the _only_ reason he liked them," Madison smirked. "Listen to _this_." She began to re-wind the tape player, looking for the right place.

While Madison was fiddling with the tape, Marigold asked, "So what happened to the Prince? Did he defeat the bullies?"

"Nah," said Holly. "It's an opera, you know, so it's, like, tragic. He doesn't get killed or anything, but the head bully steals his girl and fools everyone into thinking he's a big hero even though he's really a complete jerk. But eventually all the bullies get killed off because of their own stupidity. And the Prince gets the best music, of course."

"Here it is," said Madison. "It's going to be the B-side of the '_Half-Blood Prince_' song we played before, sung by the old headmaster, who's, like, _totally_ creepy."

_"Pretty boys, / My lovely, lion-hearted pretty boys…"_

The American girls swayed to the music, and the two Slytherins listened quietly. Mysteria said, "Hey, Darkness, you know who should hear this? Fawkes's friend Mr Slade. He's from England, too. He'll like it."

Jules and Marigold stared at each other with expressions of horror. Jules said quietly, "He'll go spare."

Marigold nodded. "Hurricane Severus."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"He's out cold and completely exhausted," Arusha told Proctor as she passed her wand over Severus. "Completely. I've never seen anything quite like it. I have to know more before I can be sure how well he'll recover."

She turned away and walked down the ward to Saunders, who was the only other patient at the moment. He was sitting up in bed, nursing a mug of hot chocolate laced with brandy. He had suffered a few burns and an emotional trauma; burn paste had dealt with the former and hot chocolate would help sooth the latter, but Arusha needed to know what had happened to her other patient.

"It was mystical gateway," Saunders explained, "into another reality, and there were powerful, evil things on the other side that wanted to come through. Mr Slade poured an enormous amount of power into a spell against them." He put the mug of chocolate down. "You should have seen it!" he said with enthusiasm approaching awe. "He cast Fiendfyre! Real Fiendfyre! He looked like a demon, silhouetted against the flames. He was furious and poured all of his rage into the spell, but he never lost control of it. The things on the other side slammed the gateway shut with so much force that the shack exploded!"

"_Hmmm_," Arusha said. "Then probably what he needs is a good rest – for his mind even more than his body. I'll make up some of my special medicinal mushroom tea for him. That will help him sleep, and give him lovely dreams to ease his mind."

Doctor Proctor poured more brandy into Saunders' hot chocolate. "It sounds like you know a lot about those gateways," he said.

Saunders looked uneasy. "Well, yeah," he answered. "When I was little, I was kidnapped by some evil wizards who wanted to use me in their horrific rituals. They eventually managed to open a gateway that they believed would bring them power, but they couldn't control it. They said they needed a sacrifice in order to close it, so they were going to kill me, but then a group of Agents broke in to rescue me. One of the kidnappers got killed in the fight, and I guess that counted as the sacrifice, because the gateway closed."

"What made you think opening that particular gateway would draw in the Dementors?"

"It was something I overheard the kidnappers say, about how those creatures craved dark, depressing things, so I thought they'd want the Dementors. And they did. It worked!"

"Yes, it did work," Doc said, "but it was kind of like using a shovel to swat flies. I don't think you should try that again."

"I just wanted to help," Saunders said sadly. "Do you think there are other realities with good things in them, or are they all full of monsters?"

The old man thought for a moment. "I don't really know – no one does," he said, "but if the muggles are right, there could be an infinite number of other realities. I suppose there could be just as many good ones as bad ones, and probably lots of mediocre ones, too. It's best not to go looking for 'em, though. You never know what you might unleash."

"Yeah," Saunders said, "I see your point."

Proctor returned to Arusha, who was casting another diagnostic spell on Severus. "So it's just exhaustion, then?" he asked. "He didn't take any harm from the beings on the other side of the gateway?"

"No, but I bet they took harm from him. I did _Priori Incantatem_ on his wand. He didn't just call up a spark of Fiendfyre and let it run wild; any third-rate conjure-man can do that. He was generating it in a continuous stream and forcing it through that gateway. Whatever world is on the other side of that gate had better have a good magical fire department."

She gave her wand a twist, and a network of colors appeared. "Look at the depth of his magical core. He drained a lot of it, but it's already starting to build back up."

She cancelled the spell and smiled at her husband. "And take a look at his nose," she said. "The size of the nose is a surefire indicator of a wizard's power, they say." She winked at her husband.

"That it is, sweetie pie," Proctor said. He tapped his substantial nose and smiled at her, just like he used to do when he was wooing her in back on the 1870s. "That it is."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOO

"I think the storm is dying down now," Harry said as he watched the muddy water surging against the spell that protected the school. The rain and wind were still hammering against the spell, but they seemed to have less force than before.

"It's a good thing we don't have hurricanes like this at home," Ron said. "It's really made a mess of everything out there. Did you see it when that piece of the dock blew past?"

"It would have been hard to miss," Harry said. He turned back toward the school. "We're going to be late getting back home, but at least we'll have a good excuse. Let's go back inside and ask around about Snape."

"Oh," Ron said. "I suppose so. If you want."

"It's what we came here for, remember?" Harry said irritably. He was getting a bit tired of Ron's lack of enthusiasm for their quest.

Inside, the school seemed to be deserted. The students and most of the teachers were still away sheltering in the Quidditch Dome, and almost everyone else was catching up on their sleep. Between the Dementors, the evacuation, and the hurricane, they'd been up all night.

Kat was tired, but he was still up and about. He'd been waiting outside the infirmary while Arusha and Doc attended to Severus and Saunders. As he started down the stairs he noticed the two young men coming in through the main doors, but he didn't give them much thought at first. As he got closer, though, he noticed the red hair. _Have I seen that guy somewhere?_ he wondered. _And that other guy, with the glasses and the messy hair… They seem familiar. I must have met them at the picnic or something._

It wasn't until he was halfway down that it hit him: _It's those two Aurors who picked up that vicious wyvern! They're the ones Slade seemed especially nervous about. Maybe they want to arrest him or something. That newspaper said he was a hero, but you never know._

Kat barely had time to conjure a pair of glasses and cast a quick glamour on his hair before Harry noticed him and started up the stairs. To Harry and Ron, Kat now appeared to have long blonde hair, and he was peering at them from behind a pair of thick glasses. They might not have recognized him from the encounter with the wyvern, but Kat wasn't taking any chances.

"Hi!" Harry said. "We're looking for somebody, and maybe you can help us. Have you seen this guy?" He pulled out the photo of Snape.

Kat studied the photo for a moment and then said, "Nope, I'm afraid not." He was trying to think of a subtle way to damage the photo when Harry thanked him and took it back.

"No point in going upstairs," Kat said a bit too forcefully. He wanted to keep them as far away from the infirmary as possible. "Everyone is asleep up there. You don't want to go waking 'em up. They've all had a rough night. Maybe you should get some sleep, too," he suggested.

"I don't think I could sleep," Harry said. "I think I've got portkey-lag. I'll just wait around for people to wake up."

"Let's go wait in the dining hall," Ron said. "We can have some tea, and the elves probably left some snacks out, too."

Kat breathed a sigh of relief when they turned away, but then he realized that he hadn't really solved the problem. _Sooner or later, they're going to find someone who'll tell them. I've got to do something!_ He turned and raced back up the stairs.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOO

Lying in bed at the far end of the infirmary, Saunders was feeling awful, but not just because of his injuries. He had messed up badly and he knew it. The chocolate wasn't helping and neither was the brandy.

The trauma of his childhood kidnapping had left him haunted by anxiety and nightmares. He had tried to make use of what he'd learned from his kidnappers, in order to make something good come out of his ordeal, but it had nearly ended in disaster. He needed to find a better way to deal with his boyhood abuse and his unwilling involvement with demonic beings, but how?

Perhaps the mysterious Mr Slade could help him. The infirmary was empty of everyone save the two of them now. Arusha has gone to make more tea, and Proctor had gone to see if the nurse had returned yet.

Cautiously, because he was slightly tipsy from the brandy, Saunders climbed out of bed and headed for Severus. He gathered his courage. "Uh, Mr Slade… sir?"

"Go away," Severus muttered sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes. Why was this idiot bothering him? He wasn't quite sure where he was or how he got here, but he had been having such a pleasant rest. Then the memory of Saunders in the shack came back to him, and that was quickly followed by the terrible memories that he's seen in the young man's mind. He suppressed a shudder. In his role as Head of Slytherin, he had seen traumatized students, and he had actually managed to help some of them. Spurring them on to find some sort of purpose sometimes worked. Not that he wanted to help this pest, but perhaps it would make him go away.

"You're going about this the wrong way!" he snarled. "You don't open those gateways, you idiot; you have to find ways keep them _closed_! And you've got to do it without any of your bloody-minded self-sacrifice. Find a better way than having yourself slaughtered like a pig. Try to _think_!" _There_, he thought. _That should do it._ Then he turned over, pulled the sheet over his head, and went back to enjoying his dreams.

Quietly, Saunders backed away until he stumbled against the next bed. Fortunately it was empty. He sat down on it and thought for a while.

_Maybe that's it,_ he decided. _I'll study ancient scrolls, and I'll interview people who've had close encounters with this sort of thing, and I'll find better ways to keep the gateways closed._

And maybe he would even find closure for himself in the process.

"Thank you, Mr Slade," he murmured, but Severus just snored softly.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOO

In the dining hall, the hand-creature scampered back behind the potted palm when it saw Harry and Ron coming. _They're back again! Why won't they just go away?_ it wondered. It tapped its fingers frantically.

The creature wasn't sure that it was happy to be alive. It couldn't remember anything before a wizard had cast the spells to animate it, after which it had been locked away in a jar with others like itself. Life in the jar had been endlessly boring and had almost driven it mad.

When it was finally freed, the creature had joined the others in rioting. They had sought vengeance by attacking the nearest wizard, even though he wasn't the one who had been responsible for their plight. And eventually it had managed to escape by clinging to Harry's cloak.

_I suppose I should be grateful to him_, the hand thought as it watched Harry, _but that old house of his is awful. It's dark and boring, and he keeps trying to stun me whenever he sees me. I thought I could get away from him by hiding in this pack, but he's still around. If only he would just go away!_

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Kat had hurried to his room, changed his clothes, and changed his disguise. _Short brown hair, bushy eyebrows, a few freckles; yeah, that ought to do it._ Then he headed back downstairs.

"_Feelin' groovy_," he sang to himself as he sauntered into the dining hall.

Harry approached him immediately.

"_Hmmm_," said Kat as he studied the photo. "Yeah, I think so. It looks kind of like one of the guys who stopped by and helped us chase off the Dementors, but they left a while ago, I think, before the storm hit. Said something about going to Singapore. Maybe if you hurry, you can catch up with them there."

"No, we've got to get back to London," Harry said, "but thanks. Was he okay?"

"Okay? Yeah," Kat said. "He looked a lot better than he does in that photo, that's for sure."

"Great!" said Ron. "We don't have to worry now; we know he's okay. Come on, Harry, let's see if we can use their floo to get back to the portkey office in New Orleans."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry and Ron stood around waiting their turn because the floo was busy with streams of students who were returning from the Quidditch Dome. Ron was just about to stifle a yawn when he heard a young girl cry, "Come back here, Alvin!" and he saw the tarantula scampering toward him with Mysteria dashing after it.

Ron gasped and started to draw his wand, but Darkness threw her chartreuse purse to stop him. It hit him squarely in the head.

"Ouch!" he said. "What was that for?" as Mysteria bent down and scooped up her spider.

"Poor Alvin," she said, holding the big spider tenderly. "Did that nasty man try to hurt you?" She scowled up at Ron. Then she noticed the photo of Severus, which was lying on top of Harry's pack. She peered at it. "Is that Slade?" she asked. "It looks like him, but…"

"Lemme see that," Darkness said, picking up the photo along with her purse. She looked it over. "He looks _awful!_ I mean, talk about a 'bad hair' day!"

"You know him?" Harry asked.

"Sure! He helped Fawkes save us from the Dementors," Darkness said proudly.

"Fawkes?" said Ron. "The phoenix? He was here, too?"

"You bet!" the strangely dressed girl said. "He swooped down out of the sky just like that," she made a swooping motion with her arm, "and he wiped out that horrible Dementor-thing. He's so great!"

"Do you know where they went?" Harry asked excitedly. This could be the best lead that they'd had so far.

"They're still here, aren't they?" Mysteria said. "We heard that Mr Slade was injured by monsters or something and he's in the infirmary. We're going to go see him after lunch."

"Injured?" Harry said. "I hope it's not serious! Where's the infirmary?"

"Up the main stairs, turn right, and go down the hall," Darkness told them. "There's a sign on the door."

"Thanks!" Harry said. He grabbed Ron by the arm and started for the stairs.

"It's nice that Mr Slade has such good friends," Mysteria said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see them."

**Collaborator's Note:** According to the U.S. Supreme Court (Wizarding Division), life debts are forbidden by the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlaws slavery.


	30. Chapter 30: Thanks for the Memories

**Chapter 30: Thanks for the Memories**

**A/N:** Thanks to Very Small Prophet for contributions to this chapter!

Severus was floating peacefully and watching the sky change color. It was currently a soothing shade of aquamarine with streaks of brilliant orange, pink and gold meandering merrily across it. He felt … contented. It was an unfamiliar feeling and he was enjoying it thoroughly. He had no worries about the future and no troubling memories from the past, and only a vague recollection of an elderly black woman encouraging him to drink some sort of unusual-tasting tea. Now he was just floating happily, enjoying the lovely colors.

After a time there was some noise. The scene shifted and he found himself in a comfortable bed. To his amazement, Harry Potter and his pal Weasley were standing near the foot of it, beside the black woman. It was a dream, of course; there was no way it could be real. Not only did they all look exceptionally tall and strangely distorted, but Weasely's hair was a brilliant, shimmering electric orange. It was all rather psychedelic and Severus found it quite amusing.

"I've given him something to help him rest, and it's very strong, so he may be a bit confused," the woman was saying. "You mustn't stay too long. He needs to rest. Call me if you need me."

Harry approached cautiously. "Hello, Professor," he said. "Are you okay?"

_Yes, it's a dream; no doubt about it now_, Severus thought. _Potter is being polite!_ "Since when has that ever mattered to _you_?" he drawled.

"Since I saw your memories and had a chance to think about them for a while. I didn't understand before, but then I saw how much you cared for my mum, and how you grieved, and how sorry you were for what you'd done. You didn't want Professor Dumbledore to die, or me either, even though you don't like me."

Severus yawned.

Harry fished in his pockets and pulled out a vial. "Here," he said, "I brought your memories back." He put them on the bedside table.

_"Thanks for the memories,"_ Severus sang, and then he started laughing. "How many times have I saved your useless life, Potter? Three, four?" He chanted, "_Three-four-six-eight…_ And you just stood there like a lump with your mouth wide open and watched me die." He paused. "Do you know why I asked you to look at me then, Potter?" he asked. "Because staring at your eyes was better than staring at your tonsils!" He started laughing again.

Ron leaned over to Harry. "Wow!" he whispered. "I don't know what that lady gave him, but he's gone daft!"

"It's a good thing we're not in Britain right now or I'd have you in court," Severus continued. "Sue your arse off for reneging on a life debt." He laughed a bit hysterically, "A dozen life debts, a hundred life debts… You too, Weasel King, and the Know-It-All. I know I saved your lives at least once. But life debts only count when Slytherins owe them to Gryffindors. No Gryffindor ever owed a Slytherin anything. It's all take-take-take with you privileged lay-abouts, and let everyone else do the dirty work."

"Did you really save my life three times?" Harry asked. "I can only remember two."

_"Two-four-six-eight, saving Potter is my fate,"_ Severus chanted again. "_He's the brat I love to hate… Potter, Potter, he's just…shate?_ No, that's not right. _He's always late, he's…_"

"Second-rate?" Ron suggested. Harry scowled at him.

"Nah, Weasel, you're the one who's second-rate. Potter is…werewolf bait. No, wait, Potter is Dark Lord bait. I'm the one who's werewolf bait." He gave another laugh. "Potter, next time you see your friend Lupin, ask him where he got the scars on his face. He'll lie about it."

"Lupin is dead," Harry said quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I read about that. I forgot." Severus paused for a moment, suddenly serious. "I didn't kill him."

"I know you didn't," Harry said.

"I just chopped him up a little. Werewolf burgers!" Snape's laugh progressed from hysterical to maniacal. Then he started to sing in a surprisingly true baritone: "_One, two, three, four / Can I have a little more? / Five, six, seven, eight-nine-ten ..._"

Ron tugged on Harry's sleeve. "I think we'd better go, mate. He's not all here."

"You're the one who's not here, Weasley. This is all imaginary. Both of you are hallucinations." He laughed. "The tea that that woman gave me is really amazing. You should try some." His mind was hopping about like a March hare. He cocked an eyebrow and looked Harry in the eye. "I'll bet you want to know about your mum, don't you? You know she almost got arrested by the muggle cops once? Shoplifting, it was. Tried to nick a Beatles record – _Yellow Submarine_, I think. Had to magic her way out of it and got in trouble for underage spellcasting." He laughed and started singing again. "_We all live in a Yellow Submarine…_"

Ron dragged Harry forcibly from the room. Fawkes flapped in before they could close the door.

_"And our friends / are all aboard…"_ Severus was starting to go off-pitch.

Fawkes didn't mind. His wizard was singing! He was much better than Albus. Albus loved to sing, but he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Fawkes trilled in harmony. Where were his two friends with the garish plumage? They liked music, too.

_It was nice of young Harry and his red-crowned friend to come and visit_, Fawkes thought happily as he watched the two young wizards leaving the infirmary. _That's good. They've grow up into such fine young birds._

Fawkes had wanted to be there for Harry at the end of the lad's mission, but he knew that Albus had wanted him to stay away. Harry was supposed to act alone. It was essential to the plan, although Fawkes wasn't sure why. He didn't know that, if he had intervened to save Harry by absorbing Voldmort's curse, the way he'd done for Albus during the battle at the Ministry, it would have ruined everything.

Well, maybe he wasn't supposed to help Harry, but Severus had helped Harry, so Fawkes had helped Severus. It was all part of Albus's great plan, or so the phoenix believed, and he was happy that everything had worked out so well.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Did you have a nice rest?" Arusha asked when Severus opened his eyes.

"I did," he replied. "That was a rather _interesting_ potion that you gave me."

"It's my special recipe," the old witch told him proudly. "I grow the mushrooms myself. I wanted to make sure you got a good sleep. I didn't let any visitors in to disturb you, except those two boys. I made an exception for them because they had to get back to London."

_Those two boys? They were just a dream brought on by that hallucinogenic tea. A very stupid, pointless dream. Weren't they?_ A feeling of alarm started to creep over him. His eyes turned to the bedside table and fell on the vial of memories. Alarm turned to shock and he sat up so suddenly that he caused Arusha to jump.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

But Severus didn't reply. _Oh, Merlin, no! What did I say to them?_

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Now that the hurricane was over the New Orleans portkey office was jammed with travelers. It seemed like everyone was either coming back or getting out. Harry and Ron had taken a number and they were sitting on a bench waiting their turn. They'd been there for at least 20 minutes.

"What was Fawkes doing there?" Ron asked. "Why would he help Snape?"

"Snape was Dumbledore's man, right to the end," Harry said, "and it was loyalty to Dumbledore that brought Fawkes to me in the Chamber of Secrets, so I think it makes sense."

"Maybe, but did you see those scars on Snape's neck? It's hard to believe he survived. I remember what Nagini's bite did to my dad."

"If Fawkes' tears could save me after the Basilisk's attack, I'm sure they'd work for Nagini's attack, too," Harry said confidently. "I was dying when his tears saved me."

Harry scratched idly at his leg. "I guess I really do owe Snape a life debt. Maybe that's why I've been obsessed with finding him and knowing that he's okay."

Ron nodded. "That might explain it. I mean, even if he owed your dad, he paid that one off by saving you at the Quidditch match, according to Professor Dumbledore. He sort of owed your mum, since he helped get her and your dad killed, but he took care of that by making sure that you survived and Voldemort didn't. And he probably did all kinds of stuff that we don't even know about, too, so I guess he's at least one up on you, if not more."

"Well, he sort of helped get me killed, too," Harry pointed out. "Or at least he helped send me to my death."

"Yeah, but you're not dead, are you? And anyway, I think you've got Dumbledore to thank for that gambit. That was his plan, not Snape's."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Harry didn't like to think about the fact that Dumbledore may not always have had his best interests at heart. He wanted to believe that the old wizard had been nothing but a wise, all-knowing father figure behind his somewhat silly facade. He didn't like knowing that the man had a hidden dark side. When he had finally admitted to himself that Dumbledore had deliberately misled him on many occasions, it hurt. Dumbledore must have known from the start that he had that Horcrux in him, but the old man had misled him – lied to him, in fact – time after time. And why hadn't Albus Dumbledore protected his mum, and his dad and him, like he'd promised Snape?

Harry had done his best to ignore Rita Skeeter's exposé and the things that Aberforth had said. Sure, Albus Dumbledore had made mistakes when he was young, but that was because he'd been led astray by Grindlewald, and anyway, it was a long time ago. Albus had realized his error and become a different man by the time he was Headmaster of Hogwarts. Or so Harry kept telling himself. But somehow, whenever he tried to picture the kindly old wizard smiling benevolently at him, Harry would hear Snape's caustic voice in the background saying, "Like a pig for slaughter." He wished he could forget about that. Why did Snape have to give him _that_ memory?

Eventually Ron said, "Do you suppose that Hermione and I owe him, too? I mean, if Snape saved us, it was really just a by-product of saving you, wasn't it? I don't really understand life debts. I'll have to discuss it with Hermione after we get back."

Ron was starting to look very worried. _If I owe Snape, does that mean I'm going to start obsessing about him, like Harry's been doing?_ he wondered. He wasn't sure he was ready for that. In fact, he was sure he wasn't.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Don't you argue with me, young man!" Arusha said sternly. "You're still weak and you need to rest!"

"Nonsense!" Severus snapped. "Where are my clothes?" He snatched up his wand. "_Accio_ pants!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Arusha reached out and caught the pants as they flew past her.

Fawkes whistled from his conjured perch. Wizards were so amusing sometimes.

The nurse, who had returned from the Quidditch Dome, took one look at the situation and wisely decided to leave it to Arusha. As she turned to leave, Mysteria and Darkness strolled in.

Mysteria waved. "Hi, Fawkes. Hi, Mr Slade. We've come to visit."

"Ooh, cool scars!" Darkness said as they drew closer to the bed. "I'll bet you got them fighting hideous monsters!"

Severus pulled the sheet up to his chin. Not only were the scars on his neck exposed for all to see, but he was dressed only in a thin white infirmary shift that left him almost naked.

Chuckling, Arusha tucked the pants and the rest of his clothes away in a closet and sealed it with a charm.

"Look what we found!" Darkness said, holding up the hand-creature.

Fawkes cawed and raised his wings in alarm.

Without dropping the sheet, Severus flicked his wand at the thing. "_Levimanus!_" he said sharply, levitating the hand away from the girl. "Those things are murderous! Where did you get it?"

"Give her back!" Darkness shouted. She scowled and put her hands on her hips. "She's okay. She was hiding in the dining hall. She was a bit skittish at first, but we made friends with her. All she needed was a little bit of love."

Mysteria plucked the hand out of the air. "We named her Fingerella. Mr Cohen says we can keep her."

_Cohen is out of his mind_, Severus thought. _Almost as bad as Albus. Or Hagrid. I'll have a word with him._

"See how we've done her nails," the girl continued. She held the thing out so he could see that the nails were now neatly manicured and painted flat black with iridescent blue dots.

"The next time we're in town, we're going to get her a nice glove," she added.

He scowled, and the creature waggled her fingers at him.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Harry and Ron were still sitting in the portkey office waiting for their number to be called.

"Do you believe that stuff Snape said about my mum?" Harry asked.

"You mean about the shoplifting?" Ron shrugged. "Who knows? You saw what condition he was in. He was higher than a kite! He was probably pulling your leg about that, and about Lupin, too. My advice is to forget it."

"I guess. You know, in those final moments in the shack, when he asked me to look at him, I think he was reaching out to me. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think he was, even if he's making fun of it now. Now he just doesn't want to admit it."

Ron said nothing. Their brief meeting with Snape seemed to have made Harry's obsession worse, not better.

"Snape and Aunt Petunia are the only ones left who knew my mother very well," Harry continued, "and I don't think I could ever get either one of them to tell me much about her."

"Not without a lot of Veritaserum. It would probably take a couple of pints each. I'd just forget about it, if I were you." _Just forget about it. _ Please_ forget about it!_

Harry sighed, then he rolled up his pant legs and stared at his calves, which were spotted with round purple welts. He and Ron hadn't known about smeeches, having skipped class the day they were described, and they had been horrified to discover the fat, glowing worms that had attached themselves to their legs during their journey through the swamp. Ron had nearly vomited.

"It was nice of that guy to hex those things off us," Harry observed, "but the bites are starting to itch again."

"Here, have some more of that ointment he gave us," Ron said, pulling a tube of it out of his pocket.

"Next!" called the man behind the counter as their number lit up in the air above him.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

**Song C****redits:** "Thanks for the Memory" by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin was first recorded by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in 1938. "Yellow Submarine" is from the album "Revolver" and "All Together Now" is from the album "Yellow Submarine". Both are by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and were recorded by the Beatles. Young Severus saw the film _Yellow Submarine_ in a movie theater in 1968, when he was eight years old. He sneaked in without paying.

**A/N:** I know this chapter took a long time. Thanks for your patience. Due to complications in RL, I may be a bit slow in replying to reviews, but don't let that deter you – I'll get to 'em eventually.


	31. Chapter 31: Girl Talk

**Chapter 31: Girl Talk**

"Hello Narcissa," Rita Skeeter said when the elf showed her into the parlor. "It was so kind of you to invite me to tea."

"Well, Lucius and Draco are away on business at the moment, and I thought it would be a good time to enjoy a bit of 'girl talk'. Please have a seat. I'm eager to hear how your latest book is coming along."

"I'm having so much fun with it," Rita said, settling into one of the ornate chairs as an elf brought a tray with tea and cakes. "Snape's story is fascinating." She paused while the elf poured the tea and served each of them.

"I know everyone is expecting me to drag his reputation through the mud – that's what I usually do, after all – but I'm going to surprise them this time. I won't gloss over his flaws, and Merlin knows he had more than his share of them, but I'm going to play up his remorse and his courage, and how he tried so hard to make up for his sins."

"Everyone will think that's out of character for you," Narcissa observed. "I'm sure they'll be expecting a hatchet job."

"Of course they will, but almost everyone has disparaged Snape thoroughly over the years," Rita said, "so where's the challenge in trying to top that? That's old news, everyone knows it, and there's not much left to say about it. No, I'm going to startle everyone by presenting him as a hero. Or as close to a hero as I can, realistically. I think I'm going to call it 'Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?' And do you know what the best part is?"

"What?" Narcissa asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Rita gave her a conspiratorial look. "It will give me new opportunities to make Albus Dumbledore and his Chosen One look bad."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear it," Narcissa said. "Those two get much more credit than they deserve. And poor Severus had such a tragic life."

Rita smiled. "I know. It's going to make a wonderful story. It's sure to be a best-seller."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"You're sure you're okay now?" Kat asked as he and Severus left the infirmary. "It looks like Arusha did a pretty good job of fixing you up."

Severus snorted and said nothing. What she'd done was threaten to turn him into a pink Pigmy Puff unless he stayed in bed and rested, and he'd actually obeyed her because he knew she would do it – she was worse than Pomfrey. The rest had done him a world of good, of course, but he'd never admit it.

"And I'm sorry about those two boys," Kat added. "I thought I got rid of them."

"It's not your fault," Severus told him. "They're an insufferable nuisance. They always turn up where they shouldn't be." The only time that he'd ever been truly happy to see them – overwhelmingly happy, in fact – was when he'd been dying in the shack. They'd done nothing to help him then, of course, but at least they'd been there so he could give Potter the information that the boy had to have. It had seemed miraculous at the time.

Which reminded him of the vial of memories that Potter had returned to him. He'd kept it, of course, but he wasn't sure he was happy to have it.

He and Kat continued down the hall and passed one of the former Slytherins, Mick Bletchley. Mick didn't make eye-contact, but Severus felt something appear in his pocket. He'd look at it later, when he was alone. Right now he needed to get ready to leave.

It didn't take long for him to pack the few things that he'd brought with him and then he went to the kitchen where the elves happily supplied him with a box of desserts for Fawkes. He couldn't imagine why he kept indulging that silly bird, but for some unknown reason watching Fawkes gobble up treats made him feel sort of … happy. It was ridiculous.

He found Armstrong waiting in the Dining Hall. "Some of the Ghoul Busters are going to stay and continue patrolling the area until they're sure there are no more Dementors around," he reported. "And in a way, that hurricane did us a favor; the muggles were too busy coping with it to notice that there was anything going on out here. The last time they spotted the light from some spells a group of muggle scientists came out to investigate, and we had to convince them that there'd been a massive occurrence of foxfire."

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Did you know Lily Evans?" Rita asked.

"No, I didn't. I graduated a few years after Lucius, but several years before Severus. Lucius had asked me to keep an eye on young Severus – he recognized the boy's potential – but I can't say I ever really noticed the Evans girl."

Rita sighed. "That's too bad," she said. "I'd love to get some dirt on her. Do you know if there were any other girls in Snape's life? Or women?"

"Well, Priscilla Nott once told me that Severus had a fling with a Hufflepuff girl that he was tutoring. Priscilla didn't mention her name, but that would have been after the Evans girl dumped him. I suppose he'd got over Evans until he found out she was in danger." Narcissa frowned and added, "She wasn't worthy of him, you know."

"That only makes the story better," Rita said, writing down some notes. "But what about later, when Snape was with the Death Eaters?"

"Oh yes, I saw him with a number of fairly attractive women over the years. He was a capable young wizard with the potential to rise in the Dark Lord's ranks, and even though he wasn't very handsome or rich, many women are attracted to men who are on their way up. And of course Severus could be quite charming when he wanted to be." Narcissa thought for a moment. "I don't know whether he really cared for any of them, or whether he was just using them for political alliances, or to deflect suspicion or whatever."

Rita's pen hovered over the paper. "You wouldn't care to name names, would you?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, the way things turned out, no one wants it brought out that they were involved with Death Eaters, so it's best left unsaid."

"That's unfortunate," Rita said, pouting a bit. "Let me know if you change your mind. I suppose it might seem more romantic if Evans were the only one, but that's just too implausible. None of my readers would believe it. I'll just have to hint that there were others and let everyone wonder about them."

"You certainly are an expert at dropping hints and asking leading questions," Narcissa said, quickly adding, "and I mean that as a compliment."

"Yes, that's the best part of writing," Rita said. "I pride myself on getting the facts straight, of course, but then I always go a bit further and add a bit of speculation to get people thinking. My readers love it.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Severus and Kat stood on the deck waiting for the captain to start the engines. Everyone had assembled by the dock to watch their departure. The elves, being the shortest, stood at the front, proudly wearing their lovely school tea-towels. Mr Cohen, Vic Armstrong and Angie were in the center behind them, along with Ms Applewood, Ms Larose, and the rest of the staff. The students stood wherever they could find a spot. Darkness and Mysteria, who were off to one side, held up Alvin and Fingerella so they could see over the crowd. Larose smiled and waved, and Severus felt his pulse quicken. "She must have some Veela blood," he said to Kat, but Kat was too busy waving back to hear him.

Severus looked around for Arusha and Doc, but they'd already left to start rebuilding the boat works. Then he spotted his Slytherins and wondered what Mick had given him. He'd take a look at it after they were under way. He gave the four of them a barely perceptible nod. Their eyes sparkled and they had difficulty hiding their grins.

"Thank you for everything you've done," Mr Cohen called. "Please come back and join us for Thanksgiving dinner!"

"And Christmas, too, and whenever you want! You're always welcome here!" Armstrong shouted.

Angie waved and so did many of the students, and Fawkes, who was perched on a railing, raised his wings in reply. That inspired several black vultures who were sitting in a hurricane-wrecked tree to whistle and flap. _Cheeky buzzards!_ the phoenix thought. He wanted to turn around and flip his tail at them, but he couldn't do something like that in front of the fledglings.

Finally the magic engines hummed to life and Kat and Severus cast off. The boat pulled away from the dock and headed out into the channel. Then the captain sounded the horn twice and the boat vanished.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"Ironically, you might actually be in agreement with Harry Potter this time," Narcissa said. "I'm sure you know how he proclaimed Severus a hero in front of everyone when he faced you-know-who for the last time, and he's been repeating that story to everyone who'll listen, including _The Daily Prophet_. He even lobbied for Severus to be awarded the Order of Merlin, and I've heard that he had a portrait painted for Hogwarts, too."

"That's true," Rita agreed, "but I'm not going to let that stop me. I'm investigating everything that Potter has said, and everything that he neglected to mention, too. In fact, I'm planning to interview him and his little friends soon." She smiled knowingly. "I'm sure it will prove to be very interesting."


	32. Chapter 32: The Persistence of Memory

**Chapter 32: The Persistence of Memory**

**A/N:** January 9 is Professor Snape's birthday, so I suggest that you celebrate by indulging in your favorite treat and/or beverage. I'm certainly going to.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

As soon as the boat was properly under way Severus ducked into his cabin to look at whatever Mick Bletchley had magically slipped into his pocket. It proved to be a scroll. He unrolled it and a note fell out. It said: _Your codename is Onyx_. It was signed _Golden Girl, Shadow, and friends._

_That must be Marigold, Mick and the others_, he thought. _And they're using codenames. What childish nonsense!_ Then he remembered calling himself the Halfblood Prince for a year or two. "Well, students will be students, I suppose," he muttered.

The scroll was blank, but not for long. He tapped it with his wand, whispered "_Aparecium_", and saw that he was holding Issue No. 1 of _The Slytherin Sentinel_. It was dated October 1998. It featured the Slytherin crest at the top and was bordered by intertwined snakes and dragons. The text said:

_Welcome to all Slytherins, both young and old, and Slytherin sympathizers, too! This newsletter aims to keep all of us in touch, providing up-to-date information and promoting discussion in these difficult times. To protect your privacy, we're assigning everyone a code name. Yours should be included with this issue. If you want to change it, just let us know._

_What do you think of the way McGonagall closed all four Houses and invented four phony new ones to "end discrimination"? We all know that her real objective was to end Slytherin House!_

_We want you to write and tell us how you feel about it. Do you want to let the House die, or should we try to keep it alive? Have you suffered discrimination? Where were you and what were you doing during the battle? Let us know, and we'll publish your responses (using your code names, of course!)._

_Sticking together will keep us strong!_

_Golden Girl, Acting Editor_

Severus tapped the scroll again and the message disappeared. He sighed as he tucked it away in his small desk. _Slytherins have always had to stick together. Maybe this will help them do that. The future is in their hands now._

He was interrupted by a knock on his door. It was the cook, Seabiscuit, with some papers. "You've got mail," he said. "I've been keeping it for you while you were ashore. And I've just made a fresh pot of tea, if you're interested."

Severus was indeed interested. Biscuit made excellent tea. He followed the cook to the mess where he helped himself to the tea and proceeded to go through his mail.

Lydia in Melbourne had sent a letter addressed to all of them. She said that Stan Shunpike was working out well at the bookshop. He'd discovered that he liked reading and was currently in the middle of the Ring Trilogy. He'd found himself a girlfriend, too. "She was a regular customer at the shop, and she kept teasing him about his accent," Lydia wrote. "He started flirting with her, and eventually he asked her out and they hit it off. They're quite sweet together, really."

_Shunpike has a girlfriend?_ he thought. _Amazing! It must have been that pimple potion that I made up for him._

Beneath Lydia's letter there was one from Lucius. He broke the seal and opened it. It was on the most expensive parchment, of course, lightly scented with sandalwood.

_I arranged for Draco to pass all of his exams and graduate without having to return to Hogwarts_, Lucius wrote. _Now he is learning to look after our many business affairs so he can assume his role as the Malfoy heir. And I am delighted to tell you that he has started to date Astoria Greengrass. She's a lovely girl from an excellent family. It's unfortunate about the Parkinson girl; she went into seclusion after the debacle at Hogwarts. Really, I fail to understand why it should be such a terrible crime not to want to die for Harry Potter._

Severus flinched at the thought of Harry Potter. What had he said to the brat? He thought he remembered something about singing. Well, it was too late now. At this very moment Potter was probably telling the whole world that Severus Snape was still very much alive. That would bring his sojourn on the boat to an end. He'd have to go into hiding somewhere.

And then there was that vial of memories that Potter had returned to him. What was he going to do with _that_?

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"So Severus Snape might have had a girlfriend during his Hogwarts days, someone other than Lily Evans," Rita Skeeter said to herself as she read over the notes from her visit with Narcisssa. "That certainly is an unexpected revelation. I'll have to find her, if she exists. But how?

"First things first, though. I need to do a bit more 'research' on Potter and his friends before I try to interview any of them again. That old house of his is too well protected to get near, but I've heard that he spends a lot of time at the Weasley place. The Weasleys have no sense at all and that old house of theirs is probably wide open. Maybe I should 'bug' them and see what I can find out."

She changed into a plain wool jumper, slacks and runners, then she donned an inconspicuous cloak and hurried out the door.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"He was off his nut, Hermione," Harry said. "They'd given him some sort of medication that made him crazy. He even sang for a while! I couldn't make sense of any of it. But at least now I know that Professor Snape survived."

Hermione nodded. She'd suspected that Snape was alive since she and Luna had searched for his body, but there was no need to tell Harry and Ron about that.

"That's wonderful," she said, "but we must never tell anyone. He obviously doesn't want anyone to know or he wouldn't be hiding under an assumed name. The least we can do for him is keep his secret, after all that he did for us and for Hogwarts."

"We wanted to talk to you about that," Harry said. "We must all owe him a life debt, since he saved our lives a few times, and when we had the chance to repay him we didn't even think of it."

"We were a bit distracted at the time," Ron pointed out. "But maybe it's not too late. Maybe we could arrange an accident for him and then rescue him."

"Ron!" Hermione said.

"Just kidding," he said, grinning. "Don't get excited."

"We all owe him," Ginny told them. "Remember when he caught Neville, Luna and me trying to steal the sword? Snape gave us detention with Hagrid as punishment. At the time we thought he was an idiot because that wasn't really a punishment, but now we know he did it to protect us. If he hadn't caught us, the Carrows might have got us and I'd hate to imagine what they would have done. Snape caught us and sent us to Hagrid to keep us safe."

Harry nodded. "When you were held captive in the Chamber of Secrets, Snape was genuinely upset about it," he added. "I was hiding and overheard him." He thought for a moment. "Maybe we should have gone to him instead of Lockhart. It would have saved us a lot of trouble, but we didn't know any better."

"Going to Lockhart was a really stupid move," Ron agreed.

"Maybe the unpaid debt is why I've been so obsessed with finding him," Harry said. "I really want to do something to help him."

"All we can do for him right now is keep his secret," Hermione repeated. "We must never tell anyone, or even talk about it among ourselves. We have to act like he really _is_ dead."

"Good idea," said Ron, who was beginning to get tired of the topic.

"Who's dead?" said Molly Weasley as she bustled through the front door levitating some bags full of groceries.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said quickly. "We were just talking about how much we miss him."

"Yes," Molly said, and tears began to glisten in her eyes as she remembered Fred. "So many people died."

"Come on, everybody," Ginny said, "let's help mom with those groceries!"

They all rushed to help and in the ensuing confusion they didn't notice the beetle that flew in through the open door. It landed quickly, folded its wings, closed its iridescent green wing-covers, and scurried under the couch.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

Underneath the letter from Lucius was a copy of The Quibbler. Severus picked it up. _What sort of rot has Lovegood cranked out this time?_ he wondered. _Perhaps there will be something amusing_.

On the front page was a story about the Ministry's proposed plans for a monument to those who had died defending Hogwarts in the final battle. It would consist of life-sized statues of attractive young witches and wizards, wands held high and spouting water. Plated with gold, of course. It would be installed in the Ministry's atrium to replace the Fountain of the Magical Brethren.

_It will undoubtedly be a tasteless monstrosity_, Severus thought, chuckling. _Fortunately, I'll never see it._

The next few pages were filled with the usual speculation about imaginary creatures, complete with hand-drawn illustrations, and the usual conspiracy theories. Lovegood noted that Stan Shunpike and Argus Filch were still at large and opined that they were probably hiding out with the surviving members of the Rotfang conspiracy.

Then came a report about the opera that Celestina Warbeck was working on. Severus thought nothing of it as he read that she's hired an Italian wizard and two American muggles to assist her.

_Silly witch_, he thought. _I wonder what it's going to be about?_

Then his eyes widened with horror as he found out: It was going to be about _him_! And _Lily_! Celestina was going to call it "_Lily Potter and the Halfblood Prince_", and she was planning to play the role of Lily personally.

He read on in disbelief until he came to the final shock: "The boathouse?" he said out loud.

A group of passengers seated near the door glanced quizzically at him.

_"It will be wonderful for _mise en scéne_,"_ Celestina was quoted as saying. _"Oh, the clever things we can do with the lighting there!"_

"She's going to move my death scene to _the boathouse_?!" he shouted, jumping up from his chair. "That _idiot!_ It's intolerable! Disgraceful! Who does she think she is?" He slammed the paper down on the table.

The passengers rose quietly and headed off to their cabin.

Seabiscuit looked up from the stove where he was preparing a pot roast. "What's that?" he asked.

That brought Severus to his senses. "It's nothing," he replied quickly, reigning himself in. "Nothing. Just … just some nonsense in this stupid paper."

_I've got to keep my temper_, he thought. _I don't want to have to explain this mess to the crew. And what would I tell them? That I was a turncoat Death Eater and a spy? That I caused people's death's? That I murdered Albus Dumbledore? That I was nearly murdered myself but Fawkes saved me? That I'm supposed to be dead? And now_ some idiot witch is writing an opera about it!_ And she's not even getting the facts right!_

He took a deep breath and sat back down.

"You okay?" Biscuit asked, coming over to renew the warming spell on the teapot. "Here, have some more tea." He refilled Severus's mug.

"There are some things I ought to tell you," Severus said slowly. "All of you."

"You don't have to," the cook told him. "Only if it will make you feel better. We don't need to know."

"Maybe later, then," Severus said. _It feels like I've spent most of my life lying to everyone, and I'm still lying, pretending that I'm dead_, he thought. _But I don't want to lie to the crew any more. They're … friends._ He'd had so few real friends in his life that he was almost afraid to use the word.

He sipped the tea and thought. _The boathouse – what a joke! I haven't been near the boathouse since my last year as a student_,_ when I used to sneak down there with Holly for a bit of snogging._ He smiled to himself as the memories came back. He hadn't thought about that in a long time. _Those were good times. Wherever she is and whatever she's doing now, I hope she's well and happy._

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

"I'll be sorry to miss Christmas here," Hermione announced when they returned to the sitting room, "but I want to spend it with my parents."

"In Australia?" Molly asked.

"Well, no," Hermione admitted. "I didn't really send them to Australia. I convinced them to take that trip around the world that they'd always dreamed of. I didn't even have to use magic. Or not much, anyway. They arranged for some dentist-friends to look after their practice and some of the neighbors looked after the house. They got back in August."

"You never told me that," Ron said accusingly.

"I thought that it was better if no one knew. And anyway, no matter what happened, the wizarding world would have forgotten about them by the time they got back." _Only wizards could believe a stupid story like that_, she thought. _They know so little about muggles. Muggle affairs are completely under the radar for most of them. In fact, most of them wouldn't even know what radar is._

"Muggles can't just move to another country, settle down and start practicing dentistry, you know," she added. 'There are a lot of formalities, and a lot of paperwork. It can take years."

"Amazing," said Arthur, who'd joined them. "Muggles are such fascinating creatures. Imagine, they have paperwork just like we do."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you didn't really purge their memories," Molly said. _And my children had better not try a stunt like that on me!_ "What about you, Harry, are your muggle relatives back?"

"Yes, they're back at Number 4 Privet Drive now," he said, frowning. "I'm sure they're furious about the whole thing, and I'm not going to visit them at Christmas. Or ever."

Under the couch, the Rita-beetle's antennae perked up. She'd started to think that she was wasting her time, but now she'd struck gold. _That's right, he has muggle relatives. I'd forgotten all about that. They probably knew his mother! I'll have to have a little talk with them._

She endured their small talk until finally they all went off to bed. Then she crept out, squeezed under the door, and flew off to find her clothes.

XXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOOXXXOOO

The Knight Boat stopped in Halifax to pick up a crate of frozen nipsters, magical lobster-like creatures that jet about in the ocean like squid. Nipsters are slightly psychic, which makes them almost impossible to catch, but eating them is believed to give a witch or wizard a temporarily enhanced ability to foresee the future. Their rubbery flesh tastes much like a burnt tire and few can stomach it long enough to get any benefit, but there are always those who are willing to try, and nipsters always bring a high price at magical fish markets.

Night had fallen by the time they pulled out of the harbor. Severus was off duty and he stood on the deck looking at the vial of memories that Potter had returned to him. He longed to pull out the stopper and watch them drift away into the darkness. Shadows of those memories, most of them painful and some of them shameful, still remained to haunt him. Why return them to his head and refresh the pain?

But what would he be without his memories? What would anyone be? His memories, distressing though they might be, were part of him. They were of things he had done and experienced, and they made him what he was. Without memories a man would be a blank slate. There were witches and wizards who had deliberately disposed of their worst memories, and most of them eventually ended up in St. Mungo's, vaguely happy but mindless, like Gilderoy Lockhart.

No, they were his memories of his deeds and his decisions, and he would have to bear them. He pulled out the stopper, teased them out with his wand, and let them slip back into his head. Then he stood there for a long time, staring out into the night.


End file.
